Why We Work
by Ezzaria26
Summary: Falling was never safe, never expected, and never logical, but they could make it work. Anzu/Atem
1. Prologue

**I was the girl who carried a poorly made deck around in my pocket, another in my backpack, and kept one by my bed. I was the girl who traded cards at the bus stop, sat two feet away from the TV to watch Yu-Gi-Oh, and sang the theme song at the top of my lungs. I was the girl who drew my own cards and all the characters in my free time, and bought a Duelist Kingdom glove when I earned the money. Unfortunately, my schedule proved watching the last two seasons impossible. So here's to all the Yu-Gi-Oh fans.**

**Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine.**

Has anyone ever thought to tell the world to stop turning? To tell the ocean to stop carrying the boats along? To tell the hourglass to lay on its side and never let another grain of sand fall? To tell the doors to refuse to open? To tell death to deny its own mission?

In a flash of light, everything faded from the world of the past, and Yugi and his friends found themselves once again in the modern day world, turning as always.

Eventually, everyone boarded the boat, the water vessel that would carry them to the Millennium stone, and the ocean took them onward.

The sun began to set, the sky turned inky blue, and the hourglass continued to allow sand to fall as the boat docked.

"My name is Atem." The doors opened, revealing the glowing light within that promised the Afterlife.

After much talking, death enveloped the brave man, and a spirit was taken.

Yes, someone had thought to tell all those things of such wishes. But much to her heart's dismay…

She was denied.

**To explain the shortness, this is a prologue. I hope you were intrigued to try the next chapter. (it's coming tomorrow)**

**Ezzy**


	2. Too Sad a Tale

**And here is a full-length chapter. This takes place right after the final episode. Many things have been modified for this story. For example, I know Mai wasn't there during the Final Duel and was technically never seen by the main characters again after the whole Orichalcos thing, but in this fanfic she is there, and that's how it's gonna be. Thank you.**

**Also, special thanks to for being the first to review and put this story on alert.**

**Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine. **

It had been exactly twenty-four hours. Twenty-four hours since a winner lost, since a heart was broken, and since a group of bedraggled friends barely made it out of a collapsing temple alive.

Once the tomb had collapsed after everyone barely made it out, a sense of finality fell over the desert along with the dust and sand that had been sent into the air.

Yugi couldn't help searching his mind constantly, thinking to himself and feeling the emptiness as there was no response, no wise words to assure him of anything. What would he do? How would they get back home? More questions tumbled around in his ever-maturing, mental playroom. Toys were beginning to be shelved and placed in boxes, and yet at the same time Yugi felt it would be wrong to ever put all of the immature play away. That's what he felt his once other-half would have told him. He probably would've also told Yugi that he needed to keep moving forward, that they would both find happiness where they needed to be. This was just the next step, and the friendship wouldn't end despite the worldly difference.

Joey was continuously moving his eyes across the sandy landscape. His best mate, tied with Yugi and Tristan as always, was probably roaming some heavenly sands of paradise or something like that. If it were anyone else, like – say – Duke or Tristan, he may have hoped he met some beautiful immortal babe and that, when Joey died, he could tease him endlessly. But for the particular friend who had just left, Joey only hoped he could be with his family. Anything else was up to him to decide.

Tristan mentally cursed himself for never having inquired about how to ask out Serenity. Surely with all his ancient experience, his best friend had been there when the concept of dating was created. Who better to ask? Though he could guess at what would've been said. 'I win games with my heart. Your best chance of winning her heart is using your own.' No, that was too lame. He definitely would've said something cooler.

Duke hadn't known him as long as everyone else, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. He may have been harboring the hope that he could ask him about new game ideas, considering how easily Duke's first game had been thwarted by the wiser individual. Damn. Maybe he'd ask Yugi. It was possible the shorty had gotten some wisdom rubbed off on him. Besides, he was a good kid, and kids liked games. Obviously.

Bakura was alone. It was still a bit awkward, knowing that the ring he had once worn around his neck had caused everyone so much pain. Everyone promised they would still be friends, and that they forgave him, but he knew it would take them a long time to get over it, to get over all the hell the spirit of the Millennium Ring had caused. That is what had made the friend Bakura had just lost different. That friend had looked at Bakura with understanding and a nod, and had freely spoken to him even about the spirit, unlike those who tried to awkwardly avoid the situation. For that he held more respect in Bakura's mind than ever before. But that understanding had made Bakura realized that he would just have to work to enjoy that same openness with all his other friends. But how to do that? He wasn't sure, but he decided the best thing to do would be to go somewhere and think, which wasn't going to happen while he was in Egypt. He went to go stand beside Kaiba, who would hopefully give him a ride back to Japan.

Mai crossed her arms, smirking at the pile of stones. That prude was finally going to a place where he wouldn't have to save the world and could finally be affected by a woman's charm, and Mai wasn't going to be there to see it. Was she disappointed? Beyond so. Mai glanced to her left, spotting something else concerning. Yes, she was even more disappointed than she had originally thought, because would he be affected by the right woman? She strongly believed he would not considering where he was going. She would move on, as most of them would, but Mai was not stupid. Of all that were there, she was the most knowledgeable in such areas, and knew there would be one person who, despite knowing he had finally earned his inevitable rest, would be haunted for eternity and plagued with pain.

Kaiba glanced back at the rock pile with a frown. He'd rarely actually fought Yugi according to the knowledge that Yugi had once had another person living within his puzzle, and his other half, despite all the stupid ridiculousness of it all, had always put up a strategic and difficult fight every time he and Kaiba had fought. Kaiba wasn't going to admit the voodoo had gotten to him. He was going to pass it off as a child's magic trick and a bit of badly cooked food that he'd have to berate his personal chef for later as long as he possibly could. He didn't believe in this magic shit. He had a corporation to run, and he'd be damned if this overly hot vacation got in his way. Still, he internally admitted some kudos to the man that had left, giving a stern nod to the rubble before dragging his brother off.

Yugi's grandfather recalled all he could about his adventures in Egypt, researching and discovering so many things about the man who had just left without even realizing it. He did not dwell on the pain they all surely felt. Everything would work itself out, and they would find the way to click back together again, despite the hole that was now in their puzzle. Nodding, he turned and followed Kaiba, who had agreed to give him a ride back to the Game Shop so he could continue running his humble business.

Ishizu and Marik both looked at each other, bittersweet joy in their eyes. He was finally getting the rest he deserved, even if it meant having to let go of his friendship. Still, Marik seemed to accept the fate of him better than Ishizu. After all, her gaze had followed Mai's, and she knew just as well as the blonde-haired duelist that there would be one thing that might never be fixed. Odion was pleased with the Pharaoh's fate, and seeing as Marik could not find the same level of happiness in his sister's eyes, he turned to Odion instead.

Twenty-four hours later, everyone seemed back to normal. They weren't, truly, but they had resigned to the fact that they couldn't undo it, and this is what he had needed and deserved beyond anything else. He wouldn't want them to drown in sorrow for him, nor did he think that they would, considering it was only him. He would live on in their hearts, and they would try to pursue justice and the protection of others as fervently and as efficiently as he had, and probably was still doing in the paradise of the Afterlife. After all, they knew he never could've really stayed, lacking a body of his own until the final duel. Now was not a time for tears. It was a time of celebration for him, and if they were ever uncomfortable with the way things had ended, they could find sanctuary in the rest of their friends.

Everyone would be fine with it.

Except Tea.

It was quite an odd turn of events, considering the one person who was usually positive, supportive and cheerful was now the one broken and hopeless. But she tried not to let it show. For those unfamiliar with what she was truly feeling, they would only consider her to be grieving the loss of a friend. But there were five people who knew better, three having known her for so long they knew something was wrong, and two having women's intuition and knowing about such things. The only people that were still in Egypt and remained totally oblivious to the situation were Odion, Marik, and Duke.

"Mai." The voice was calm and soothing, warm like the desert she was raised in. The duelist turned to face Ishizu, who had called quietly so as not to call attention to herself from anyone else. It worked. Yugi and Joey were talking all about the afterlife and what might've awaited their good friend, and Duke and Tristan were wondering how they were going to get back to Japan. Marik was gone, off to make a few calls so that the destroyed temple would be reported as an inevitable occurrence due to age.

"Ishizu. What's up?" Mai asked nonchalantly, tossing her arm over the back of the simple white couch to glance back at the woman.

Ishizu closed her eyes slowly, only opening them once she had turned her head towards the door that lead to her bedroom. "I am worried," she began, "that, despite how much he deserved his rest, he may have left behind a broken girl."

"And a broken boy," Mai added sadly, nodding slowly as she caught the seriousness of their conversation.

Ishizu faced her once more, a single eyebrow slightly arched. "Yugi?" she asked.

Mai shook her head, brushing a golden lock behind her shoulder before standing in a graceful motion. Ishizu, expecting an answer but realizing she would not get one in their current location, casually proceeded outside to a small garden, Mai following as she said, "No. I think he left himself behind."

Ishizu stopped and whirled to face Mai now that they were both outside, a house wall between them and the others. "Because of her?"

"Oh I'm sure he misses his friends and the great things he's found here. But mostly her, whether that stupid boy knows it or not," Mai stated plainly.

"He's not a boy, Mai. He is a pharaoh, a well respected_"

"Hun, all males are boys when it comes to love. They trip over their feet and make the dumbest mistakes and blab about stupid things because they have no idea what they're doing. Why do you think Kaiba doesn't date? That stiff would lose his little spoiled head and that's exactly what he doesn't want," Mai insisted. "Twenty bucks says our high and mighty pharaoh hasn't got a clue. All I can tell you is he's miserable where he is and that's how it's going to be. Anyone would be miserable when they left themselves broken somewhere they can't reach."

Ishizu played with the possibility that Mai was simply uninformed about how the Afterlife worked. "The Afterlife is meant to make a person truly happy if they deserve it, and he does, so I highly doubt_"

"Love makes you do crazy things, hun. Trust me. Love drives you up a wall and you know what you get once you're up there? Nothin' painless. You fall right on your back most times. The trick is that when you fall someone's supposed to catch you, because that's what they've been wantin' to do this whole time. You fall for them, and they catch you." Mai got down on her knees to eye a very beautiful rose, one with sharp thorns that she ran her fingers delicately across to avoid drawing blood. "The Afterlife can't give you love, Ishizu. A place can't give you that. That's our job. We give people love, and we take it for ourselves cause we're all secretly greedy for the most wonderful thing in the world." Trying to find a way to connect to her next train of thought, Mai distracted herself by taking a strand of her golden hair and holding it up to the red rose, trying to consider whether or not she should take it and place it in her hair. After a second of consideration, she glanced over her shoulder at the Egyptian woman. "Something tells me you know that. Didn't that gorgeous piece of jewelry you used to wear tell you anything?"

Ishizu sighed, thinking back over the visions she had witnessed up until her necklace was taken to trigger the final duel between Yugi and the pharaoh. "I know. I've… gathered that he had feelings for her and her for him, but… I didn't want to accept it. I liked to think that certain visions of the Millennium necklace were not perfect and set in stone, so I... ignored certain parts. It was too sad a tale." She knew Mai was right, for she had found herself suspecting the same thing. But now she had to come to terms with her suspicions. "I just don't want to believe that he's worked so hard to only be given something he no longer wants… or needs, yet that's the only gift he'll be given."

"Well, you're better at understanding than those blockheads. Oh, they know something's wrong, but seriously, what _romantic_ experience do any of them have? The gods better come up with a better gift, because their current one is shit," Mai remarked unhappily. As she said that, Mai realized that she had nothing to suggest _Ishizu_ had any romantic experience. Maybe it was the necklace? But surely a piece of jewelry couldn't teach you love. "The boys just think that she's sad to see a friend go because, let's face it, she's the heart of the friendship here. If anyone ever had doubts and needed to be pulled free, it was Tea who could do it."

Ishizu nodded. "I suppose you're right. If they can't even see Tea's feelings like you and I, how could we have expected them to see his?"

"No worse than him not seeing his own feelings. He's the biggest idiot of them all."

"He's a phara_ Oh, who can I fool? He's an idiot." It was probably the most modern word Ishizu had ever spoken. Not 'fool', 'empty-headed' or anything of the like. Just plain and simple.

Mai finally plucked the rose, sticking it into her hair where the rose thorns then found purchase. Ishizu smiled. "You always take what you want, Mai. I wonder if wishing that the two of them had learned something from you is a good idea."

Mai laughed softly, still saddened about her friend's situation. "Yeah, I'm sure it'd come back to bite us all. They have to learn on their own to grab what they want. It's just sad that it's a little late for that."

"The gods are very strange. We thought it was too late to beat Zorc, considering it was five thousand years. And look at what they did."

"But the problem this time is much greater than Zorc," Mai finally murmured in reply, sadness in her voice. There was silence between the two, and in the end Ishizu suggested dinner. Mai agreed, and that was the last thing they could agree on at the moment. The decision as to whether or not they should try to get Tea out of Egypt as fast as possible, as to whether or not they should knock on Ishizu's door and try to interact with the broken girl. That was something else entirely.

In the end, they weren't about to let the girl go hungry, and Mai set a plate before the door, knocking once before leaving. A faint whisper rose from somewhere in the room, making its way through the crack in the door and reaching Mai's ear. A sleepy drawl, thickened by a poor recovery from crying, and a single word.

"Atem."

**Seriously, if I were Tea I would've bawled my eyes out at losing such a handsome, honorable and kind young (old?) man. If anyone's confused, they're all staying at Ishizu, Marik and Odion's house. If you're still confused, I just gave them a house because I can and it makes writing this so much easier. Thank you for reading. All reviews are greatly appreciated and make my day.**

**Ezzy**


	3. What You Deserve

**And now for the second chapter, where we are still in Egypt… sort of.**

**Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine. Otherwise I would've gotten rid of the hyphens. Do you know how odd it is to type the title of this manga/anime? Very. **

"Why do I find you here, son?"

Atem glanced up at his father from the empty stone floor he sat on. Currently, he was in a large celebration hall covered in lavish fabrics of rich colors, shimmering gold and silver, and the tantalizing aromas of food that had been served about half an hour before. Currently, the tanned, youthful pharaoh was sitting in the middle of the room where the dancers would've normally come in with their provocative outfits swirling around them.

"Resting," the youth explained to his father, lowering his back so it met the pristine stone floor, an arm acting as a pillow for his head of tri-colored, unruly hair.

The older man seemed to grumble something, but the sound was deep and impossible to interpret as it rumbled forth from deep within his chest. Despite it being the Afterlife, the older pharaoh had not decided to return to his youthful days. He had rather liked his middle-aged part of life, right about the time Atem had been born, with his rich hair speckled with ash-gray, crows feet at the corners of his warm eyes. The former pharaoh still had the physical capability of a youth, however, and sat upon the floor with ease beside his son. "For a paradise where all come to take their rest, my son, you appear more restless than a person could ever possibly be."

Atem's right arm came to rest horizontally across his stomach as he glanced up at his father. "I'm basking in what I deserve, father," Atem answered softly, trying to attempt a smile to drive his point home.

"What you deserve? Son, what you deserve is beyond this place, and far better."

Atem shot up into a sitting position, crimson eyes widening as he stared at the man who had ruled before him. "Father, this is the_"

"Afterlife. So I've been told. But son, you are not comprehending the word itself. A person only deserves this place after they have tasted the richest experience of all, full of disappointments and joys impossible to fathom. The Afterlife is for a person who has fully experienced life. You... learn a lot of things in life that you need to know for after. Son, you have never lived, truly never," Atem's father informed him.

Atem's eyes softened, his eyelids fell slightly, and he reclined back to his former position against the stone. "I did long ago, father. I chose to end my life for the sake of my people. It is what had to be done, and you and I know that."

"That does not mean your life was meant to end at such a time, my son! Otherwise you would have come to join me long before this! If the gods had planned for you to have met me long before, would they not have pulled your very soul from the pieces of the golden puzzle?" Atem didn't answer, instead rolling his head to one side to eye the perfectly flat, smooth surface that the dancers graced with expert feet as light as feathers at celebrations. His right arm had found its spot across his toned stomach once more, and it tightened as he partially embraced himself. Aknamkanon continued to watch his offspring in curiosity, wondering why he had to be so silent about his feelings. It was a bit unnerving. Aknamkanon knew there were many things that made Atem like his mother, but as far as keeping his feelings and seeking only justice and fate... that was very much like himself, and Aknamkanon knew that the aspect wasn't always good, just like any other aspect of a person. "You would have had another chance, Atemu. But alas, Anubis returned to your coffin to find your body destroyed and beyond repair. Do not take my words lightly. You were destined to live, even if it was not as my blood son by the nourishing Nile. But things... did not go as expected."

Atem did not move his head, but his eyes flickered towards the sincere face of Aknamkanon. "If it was impossible for me to do as destiny called for, then why was I not instantly taken to the Afterlife. Why the duel?"

"The gods had hoped that this one duel where only defeat could win you passage would make up for all of life's disappointments and allow you to appreciate the Afterlife. But, I believe that they were wrong in this aspect, and they will not shun me for saying so. Secretly, I believe all our gods have realized this is not the case," Aknamkanon explained. "You were never able to experience the joys and the side effects of happiness. Only pain and all that hatred brings."

"I had numerous happy experiences," Atem insisted, wanting to reassure his father that the life he had been given as a child of the older pharaoh was not all in vain.

Aknamkanon watched his son carefully, and that is when it dawned upon him. True, he had experienced happiness, but not all kinds, and most certainly not to the fullest. "Is there nothing you miss from the life you watched and participated in before you came here? The life you shadowed from the puzzle?"

"It was not my life, not my experiences. I merely assisted so they could have the experiences they deserved."

"But you know what happened. You saw it all." Almost there.

"… Yes," Atem finally admitted.

"And you surely held your own opinions. You can't say you didn't befriend anyone, can you, my son?"

"No... I can't."

"Tell me about it, Atemu."

At first, the younger pharaoh remained on the ground as he spoke, still staring at the floor as monotonous words left his lips in disjointed phrases. But as he truly dove into his tale in the modern world, he began to rise into a sitting-up position before facing his father and animatedly exploring every detail his mind could recall. "I'm forever thankful for my aibou. He's a good kid, and I think we taught each other many things. Though... he is much kinder than I. You know, this one time..." For a while, he talked of his partner who had managed to piece together the puzzle. There were many things to say for Yugi Mutou, and Atem spoke of him for an hour before realizing he should probably move on. "Joey is rather easy to explain, yet not at all. He's sensitive and protective, and always dives into things headfirst without a single plan. I wondered if he knew that he could actually access the brain in his skull." Joey went on for about the same time as Yugi, eventually transitioning to Tristan. "He is determination, strength and simplistic strategy. He's not one to overthink things, and he always seeks justice and happiness." Then he reached Tea, and words and stories began to spill out uncontrollably, and occasionally he'd have to stop and reorganize his thoughts as he tried to encompass everything Tea was so that his father could understand her. It never occurred to him that he had now spent an hour and a half on Tea and there were still many people to discuss such as Duke and Kaiba and Mai.

By this time it had grown dark in the world of the spirits, and his father raised a hand. "Did you only ever meet four people, my son?"

Atem paused in the middle of quoting a piece of encouragement Tea had once given him while battling Pegasus. "Ah… Of course not, father. I met so many people it's hard to name them all. But, I suppose if I spent an hour on each of them we'd be here until the sun set a dozen times over." So he was attempting to limit each person to an hour? Well, Aknamkanon liked to think his family was very intelligent, but it seemed his son was a bit lacking the field of mathematics.

Aknamkanon attempted to cover a laugh, but it was a poor try, and it ended up leaving his son quite confused. "I suppose you can tell me of the rest tomorrow, my son. For now, we must leave for our rest," he informed the youth. Atem nodded, standing to leave. When they reached the door to exit the hall, however, Aknamkanon slowly turned to glance at the floor where many dancers had entertained.

"Your friend Tea… I hope to see her dance one day on that floor, if she is as passionate in the art as you describe," Aknamkanon informed his son.

"One day… but not soon. She deserves a long and beautiful life," Atem murmured before turning back around and walking ahead.

Yes, Aknamkanon now knew what it was that left his son far beneath the happiness he so entirely had earned, amongst other things.

Atem was about to leave for his bed chamber when he realized his father was not entering the building that held all the rooms for pharaohs whose bodies had been destroyed. It used to be you could not have peaceful sleep without your body, but that had changed overtime. "Father?" Atem called over his shoulder.

"Go ahead, son. You are the restless spirit, not I, and I have yet to go speak with a friend of mine today."

Atem nodded, feeling embarrassed for having kept him for such a time speaking of his friends.

Atem vanished into the building that held the room where he would once again fail at finding sleep. When Aknamkanon was sure the youth was gone, he walked in the exact opposite direction.

After some time, he found what he was looking for.

The figure within glanced up from a scale that was rocking back and forth despite having nothing on either side. "Ah, Aknumkanon. It has been a while. What brings you to me?" the figure barked gruffly.

Aknumkanon pulled out a scroll of papyrus from a satchel slung diagonally across his chest, passing it to the figure. A hand reached out to receive it, and the paper unrolled to reveal the writing within. "I am aware that at the time it seemed impossible. But you have seen it for yourself, and it has only been a single sun's journey across our skies. Imagine what it could be like…"

"If we left it as it is?" the figure completed sorrowfully. "My awareness is the same as yours. But what makes you think this is possible now?"

Aknumkanon finally dared to enter, grabbing a bucket full of water that sat in the corner. Murmuring a word, the water's translucent surface began to quiver and shake until images began to form, images of metal and tools of precision the Egyptians could only have dreamed of. "You could gain access. They wouldn't deny you. Not with this. You know there is a good chance that Osiris knows, amongst others. But Osiris is our safest support in this case. These machines… could make it all possible."

The figure lightly disturbed the surface of the water with a finger, watching as the image momentarily wavered with the help of the ripple before vanishing entirely. "Even if I can fix it, you know we can't keep it that way. It would look too suspicious. We'd need a cover story."

"I know. However, here we can rely on society. I've been told a call was made to formalize the incident at the temple and pass it off as something else. Surely it will take time, and by then we could have everything in place if you are up to it."

"If it's possible."

"That is not an 'if' we have to worry about. Only if you are up to it. I'm positive that you can, my friend."

The figure huffed indignantly before pulling away from the bucket and setting aside the scroll, walking to the back of the room to set a hand on the cool surface of the wall. "How did you know I kept it?" the voice asked, all roughness gone to be replaced by soft resignation.

"I would've done it for you. And you are far nobler than I."

"In that respect you are wrong, but your assumption… is still correct. I'll do it." With that, the figure pressed against a stone in the wall larger than the others. Glowing faintly, it slid out of the structure, revealing the contents within.

**Oh, but who could this figure be? And will you find out next chapter? **

**Thank you for reading. All reviews brighten my average life.**

**Ezzy**


	4. You're Different

**In answer to the questions I asked in my author's note last chapter, I haven't the faintest idea, and you don't get to find out.**

**Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine. I never would've been able to consistently draw Atem/Yugi's hair. Let alone anyone else's except maybe Kaiba, Serenity and Tea's.**

"Four days?"

Tristan's voice as an alarm clock would not sell well. That is what Mai decided as she grouchily sat up in the plush, king-size bed that was Marik Ishtar's. It had his desert ruins scent which in certain cases would be utterly boring, but considering that he spent a lot of time around incenses for rituals as well, the sand and the burning incense came together to form a rather attractive scent that had put Mai right to sleep, silencing her worries about Tea. Ishizu had slept beside her that night, but being the cryptic and quiet person she was, she had likely gotten up two hours earlier at five in the morning instead of seven like Mai, which was still an insane time to be waking up.

One may have wondered why two girls were sleeping in Marik's bed and not Marik himself, but no one wanted to disturb Tea. Or rather, the boys wanted to check on her, but Mai and Ishizu refused to let anyone in that particular room, leaving Ishizu bedless, as she was supposed to bunk with Tea. Pulling the gentleman card, Marik offered up his own bed, and then he stole the couch before Joey could lay his hands on it. Duke had managed to grab the recliner, and this left Yugi, Tristan and Joey the floor.

Sleeping arrangements aside, Mai was ready to strangle the obnoxious soldier wannabe for waking her up at such an insane hour. Her beauty sleep was not complete, but it was too late now.

She quickly changed clothes into a rather simple dress Ishizu had set out for her (right out of her own wardrobe, so it was no surprise that it was tan and a little snug on Mai's more voluptuous figure) and exited, passing by Ishizu's room and seeing that not only was the dinner plate gone, but the door was open and the room was empty.

Entering the living room and kitchen combination, Mai found that Joey and Duke were still sleeping, but everyone else was awake. Yugi was attempting to eat a breakfast roll of sorts and some fruit, but it appeared he had no stomach for breakfast. Curious, Mai glanced over at the area that Yugi had slept in, seeing a messily folded blanket and… a damp pillow? It seemed things weren't as normal as Mai had come to believe. She had known Joey wouldn't be overly emotional, having already settled for Atem's spirit being in each of them, and Tristan would be more angry about losing his best friend, which might explain why he was stabbing at his roll with a fork before savagely biting into it as he waited for an answer to his outburst of 'four days'. Kaiba was never emotional to begin with, and Duke, Marik, Ishizu and Mai had only sort of known him, so it was more like a friend going to college than a best friend dying. Realizing this, Mai wondered why Yugi hadn't been crying more than he had when Atem had been just entering the Afterlife. It seemed he had cried himself to sleep, but why hadn't he been as obvious about it as Tea? Clearly no one would have judged him for it. But when Mai looked back at Yugi however, she saw the reason. He was attempting to converse with Tea, worry clear in his eyes, as she half-heartedly responded. Her smiles looked painful, but Mai said nothing about it. Tea wasn't sharing her pain either, even if she was being more obvious about it, so Yugi wasn't going to share his.

Still, this was not the concern just yet. "What about four days?" Mai asked, sauntering over and grabbing herself a bundle of grapes to daintily pick and pop into her mouth.

Marik, currently sitting on a simple wooden stool with a piece of paper covered in scribbles before him, looked in her direction. "I had to make the call yesterday to report the destruction of the temple. Naturally they have to investigate to see if anything can be salvaged and to make sure it was actually age that destroyed the temple and all that good stuff. They don't want us to leave until that's done, just in case they find something of ours or if we can help them with anything we may have noticed on our visit there. Besides, they need to make sure it was actually age and not a bunch of tourists wrecking precious Egyptian history."

Well, that settled the issue Ishizu and Mai had been having about how soon to leave Egypt for Tea's sake. Whether it would be good for her or not, they'd be there another four days. Mai briefly wondered if the authorities would want to track down Kaiba as well, who had fled the scene in his private jet. Now _that_ would be amusing.

Tristan wasn't happy, however, letting himself clumsily fall onto a stool to violently rip his teeth into the roll instead of an eating utensil. "Man, it's like they want to…" Anything else Tristan may have said was lost as he attempted to chew the cinnamon roll.

"So what do we do? We can't continue to stay here…" Yugi began, only to be cut off by Ishizu.

"It is fine. There is plenty of room as long as you're willing to pay for how much Tristan and Joey eat. I'm sure we'll have enough for the rest of you," Ishizu assured the high school student, sitting down to eat some cantaloupe.

Yugi didn't look pleased with having to intrude longer, and Mai was happy to see that he glanced worriedly at Tea, but he nodded with a small smile. "Okay, but then how do we spend our time?"

"There are many more ancient Egyptian structures to be found, or there are also markets with handmade goods," Odion provided.

Everyone began putting in their two cents worth on what activities should be done, and Joey finally got his say in when Tristan woke him up with the words 'Egyptian buffet'. It wasn't intentional, but they all should've known that the way to wake up Joey was to say 'buffet'. Duke woke up then as well, because Joey had made such a ruckus that the sleeping beauty awoke with a scowl. Tea, however, stood up and left the room after saying she was sure anything would be interesting.

Marik was trying to make a grocery list for the two bottomless pits that would be staying at the Ishtar household when Mai realized the development. She glanced over her shoulder to find the kitchen table lacking a certain brunette girl. Looking over at the front door, it seemed Tea's shoes were also gone.

"I'm going to go to the garden, see if I can find another flower for my hair today. Don't buy out the grocery stores, 'kay boys?" she warned them flirtatiously as always.

"Sure. Oh, and Mai, can you look for Tea? I thought she went to the bathroom but she's not back," Yugi commented, and it was clear that he was concerned, though it was also clear he was not concerned for the right reasons. He thought she had lost a friend, but Mai and Ishizu knew better. Everyone seemed to glance at the chair that Tea had recently occupied once attention was called to her absence, and everyone seemed to frown if only for a brief moment. Mai gave Yugi a small smile.

"Oh, she probably couldn't resist the garden either. Bet you she saw how beautiful I looked with that rose in my hair and wanted to go look at them. We'll come back eventually!" Mai replied before leaving out the back door to the garden. Once she closed the door behind her, however, Mai fled to the garden gate, making her way around the house to where she found Tea aimlessly walking away from the house into some unknown direction. She was farther than Mai had thought she'd be, and she almost missed the girl as she was wearing a tan dress no doubt given to her by Ishizu.

"Tea! Sweetheart, wait up!" Mai raised a hand in case Tea looked back, which she did despite all her mixed-up feelings. The girl came to a stop, looking torn as Mai jogged up to her. "It's too early for a walk, but if you're up to it I'll do my best."

Tea nodded, her expression hollow as she looked up at the clear blue sky.

For a while, there was silence, which was something Mai didn't normally appreciate. She'd have to remedy that. "So, four days in paradise, huh? Won't it be fun? We can ditch the idiot boys and party!" Tea didn't glance back, and Mai pretended to take it as a 'that's a stupid idea' response. "Hey, we're tourists. We're allowed to do that, you know."

Silence was all she got, and Mai huffed. The sound she made with the breath almost covered up Tea's next remark. "Four days in hell…" It was soft, barely audible, but Mai's perfectly capable ears caught those four words.

Most people might've pretended to have not heard what Tea said, but Mai was never considered one of 'most people'. "Hon, this wouldn't happen to have anything to do with an exceptionally older individual who looks your age and is oddly attractive in leather… would it?" Mai prided herself on the leather comment, but apparently it wasn't that impressive to the small peanut gallery.

Tea said nothing. Instead, she continued to watch her feet hit golden sand, occasionally with too much pressure, allowing her shoe to sink just a little as the sand adjusted to accommodate the foreign object.

"It's barely been a day and a half. It doesn't make sense to any of us, but hon, you're the only one trying to take it on by yourself."

"I know." The whisper was soft and full of shame. "Why?"

"The rest of us… well, let's just say we're different. We all lost a friend, but I think we're all able to realize deep down this was supposed to happen, but… then there's you."

Mai almost thought Tea wouldn't respond to that considering the long pause that followed. But the whisper came back, softer and broken. "I'm a terrible person."

Mai turned to face the girl in shock, but the younger girl kept going, head down. "Tea! What do you mean you're a terrible person? That's ridiculous!"

"Because… you said you guys realized it was supposed to happen. The Afterlife is what's best for him, so I _should_ be happy… but I'm not… because I'm selfish. Stupid. Gullible. I'm a terrible friend. The worst. I should… I should be… h-happy!" Tears began to spill over, flowing over the curve of Tea's cheeks as she wrapped her arms around herself as if cold. But her body wasn't satisfied, and she instead buried her head in her hands, then tore her fingers through her chocolate hair, then fell to her knees, frustration and shame and sadness turning her into a complete mess.

Mai knelt, pressing a hand to the girl's shoulder as it inconsistently shook with sudden intakes of breath. "Tea… We're not okay with it. We'd be lying if we said we were. But letting ourselves be so sad we can't even be with our best friends… We know that's not right."

"Then… why?" Tea croaked, speaking of her own pathetic situation.

"You're different, and I think you know that."

Tea turned to look at Mai through red eyes and a curtain of straggly bangs damp from sweat due to the heat and from her tears. "Then doesn't that mean I'm even worse than normal. I... I'm in love with him, and this…" Tea fell back onto the sand, ignoring the heat of the sand as she smothered her face with her hands. "I know there's no way I could love anyone… like this. It would've been easier to love Yugi, but it's never going to happen. I love Atem. And it sucks. Sucks so… so much. And he's it. He's the one. And I can't have him, dammit!" She curled off the sand once more, her position ever changing as she formed a rocking ball of tears. Mai should've expected this much, though she swore she'd never heard the brunette curse. "Everyone will be compared to Atem. Everything. I'll want him all the time here. Yugi… any guy. It won't work. And I want to be happy for him because then it wouldn't hurt. I know this is love, but if it is… why can't I be happy knowing he's happy and getting what he deserved for all those times… all those times he's saved us…"

"Something tells me you don't believe that."

"That he deserves paradise? Of course I do! He deserves everything he wants."

"You know it's not bad to be selfish, Tea," Mai pointed out.

"He deserves better than me."

"Tea, _you can be selfish_. What if he wants you? Any guy who wants you would have to be a hero, otherwise they don't deserve you. And look, he's a hero, and an extremely handsome one." Tea let that point drop. It didn't matter. He wasn't here.

Tea stretched out her legs, breaking the ball she had curled into. "I don't understand. I'm in love with him, so how come I'm acting like a terrible person? In romance novels they always say 'they're happy, so I'll be happy no matter what'."

"Because that's bull shit. Someone's got issues if they think a person that much in love could possibly be okay with that. It's going to hurt you more than it could ever hurt us. It was a close friend for us, maybe even a brother to others. But you? You want him here, and not having him is worse than anything. Everything hurts when it reminds you of him, because it taunts you with what you don't have, throwing all those happy memories in your face. I get that, Tea," Mai admitted, sitting back beside the distraught girl.

Tea looked over at the blonde woman, confusion in her eyes. "You do?" She didn't mean to sound disbelieving, but Mai didn't seem bothered.

"Five years ago. But it's not so bad anymore. But that's because he came back and made a jackass of himself, and I knew I could move on, because what we had wasn't real," she said.

Tea pondered over why Mai felt the need to say that. Had she said it because she thought what Tea felt for Atem was real, meaning she was basically screwed for life? Because if so that definitely wasn't helping. "Have you found someone else, Mai?" Tea suddenly asked, trying to allow her curiousness to overpower her pain. She had her suspicions about who she thought Mai liked, and she also had her suspicions about it being mutual, but she thought she might as well ask.

Mai smiled sadly. "I think so. But there will be time for him later. For now, there's still you. What are you going to do, hon?"

Tea's heart clenched. No distraction. Great. She looked down at the sand beneath her, picking up a fistful of it and letting it fall through her fingertips. "I…" She let her hand fall. "I don't know."

"Well _I_ do."

Mai stood up, grabbing Tea's arm and yanking her up as well. "I'm going to give you the cheesiest piece of advice ever, but the great thing about cheesy and cliché lines is that they're true. Truth is underrated, but it works. A lot," Mai began as she started marching back to the house. Tea wanted to say something about how she couldn't go back and face everyone while her eyes were red and puffy, but Mai was way ahead of that train of thought. "We're going to pick up Ishizu, and then we're going sight-seeing! You got it?"

Tea was lost, absolutely lost, and her undignified 'huh' made that very clear. "What does this have to do with cheesiness?"

"Cheesy piece of advice number one. Everything is going to remind you of him and depress you because it reminds you of how you don't have him with you. But instead, use everything that reminds you as a connection to him."

"How?"

"This is where Ishizu comes in."

"Mai, what exactly are we going to do?"

"I told you. Sight-seeing." Sight-seeing in itself was never a bad idea, but when you were with Mai, it could be very dangerous business.

"Now?"

"It's totally understandable that you're sad, hon, but let's be honest. I can't be the only one who misses the encouraging, strong and determined Tea. Am I right or am I right?"

"…Maybe."

"Then yes. Now."

**I'm planning on rewriting Mai's conversation with Tea. The main concept of it will be the same, but I feel it was all put together rather awkwardly and was way too wordy. I'll put it in my author's note when I edit the conversation.**

**Ezzy**


	5. If You Can Handle It

**Maybe you'll find out the identity of the mystery figure today.**

**Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine.**

"Well?" The voice had broken a very tense silence in the room, empty except for a figure, a bucket of water, and a box.

The figure looked over at the man in the doorway and then hung his head. The man's face paled in horror. No, surely not… The figure then turned around and pulled a golden orb from his pocket. Careful fingers cracked it like an egg over an empty area in the room, and sand began to spill out, forming machinery, machinery that was far more advanced than the man's time. The figure knew the names of the different tools however, having been informed of how to operate each upon receiving them. The most fascinating piece of equipment, however, was definitely the, what was it again?... Ah, that's right, the _computer_.

The figure turned around, a small smile on his face. "Success." The word was soft to the man's ears.

"If you can handle it."

The figure turned once more, grabbing the bucket and showing the picture of the young pharaoh walking through a pyramid lined with large tablets displaying pictures of monsters of varying types. His crimson eyes appeared sad as he traced the face of the Dark Magician, and then moved on to follow the sharp edges of the fierce Red Eyes Black Dragon. An armored soldier came next, though this one the former pharaoh seemed to be adding other lines, forming a new, invisible weapon that the observers did not recognize for the soldier. A young female magician stone tablet appeared next, looking gentle and mournful, and that one the pharaoh skipped over. An angel that was both evil yet good was after that, and this one he traced, along with the infamous Blue Eyes White Dragon. A few more followed, including a stone tablet with a shield.

The image faded as the man looked at the figure and was met with a wide grin. "There are no 'if's anymore, Aknumkanon."

Aknumkanon smiled, unable to express how grateful he was. Still he attempted. "My friend, I wonder often why so few appreciate you."

The figure laughed. "Do not appreciate me. Appreciate Osiris for giving me the tools. Better yet, appreciate them. They will give him the happiness, not I."

"But without you it could never hope to happen."

"True, but I am the judge. To lie and say one side of the scale tips when it does not is against all that I am and have known."

"You are more than a judge. You know the laws of justice, but you know the feeling of justice as well," Aknumkanon insisted. For a while he stood there, watching as the figure collected the box and the bucket of water, placing both by the machinery. "I hate to hurry you, but you only have two days remaining."

The figure laughed again, louder than before. "There we are. No more of this gratitude. Let me perform my way, and let you be impatient as you always have. Let us not act as if we are strangers under an agreement of business."

"Then let me say my thanks properly, else I feel I have cheated you of all your praises, old friend," Aknumkanon persisted.

"If you insist on the formalities, I will insist that this is nothing more than an obligation of my ancient duties. Let them go, and I'll acknowledge I do this as a friend who wants nothing but the happiness of those he loves."

Aknumkanon stood there, stubbornly watching as the figure experimented with different knobs and buttons on the machine, occasionally laying out some tools on a table beside it. "You never were good with handling praise or gratitude."

"Correct. Let's not train me now. I'm rather fond of my current ways."

This time they both chuckled at their disagreement and stubborn habits. "Not a woman though," Aknumkanon reminded his friend.

"You say that enough to account for every grain of sand in all of Egypt."

"And you have perfected the art of being a single man. You tell me which is more ridiculous."

"I'd have to go with your ever-running mouth. Now leave me be before I get you with a scalpel," the man snapped jokingly at Aknumkanon.

The pharaoh threw up his hands in surrender. "Don't be threatening me. I'm not endorsing the idea nearly as much as others."

The man stopped what he was doing. "Define _others_."

"My wife."

For a while they both stood there, and it appeared that the figure was horrified by such information. Aknumkanon grinned. Then the figure sighed. "I'm doomed."

Aknumkanon chuckled, deep and warm. "She believes you to be romantically incompetent. She also swears that if you could only prove you understand romance at all, she would leave you alone."

"That is impossible."

"Unless you start a relationship on your own accord."

"With who?"

"Haven't the faintest clue as to who. After all, I've nothing to build an idea of what kind of woman would suit you on. You are more pure than the virgin Mary, and I tell you, getting that woman pregnant without actual taking away her purity? I hear that took some skill on the minor god's part. What was his name, again?"

The figure had been cleaning a tool when the question was asked, and he stopped to stare at Aknumkanon. "God," he replied with a quirk eyebrow.

"Oh that's right. He has quite an ego, or so I'm told."

"Haven't met him before?"

"I always managed to avoid him."

"You get all the luck. You don't have to deal with the obnoxious minor gods who think they're so great that they're going to make their own religion, you are well respected, you were pharaoh, you got a wife_"

"That's implying you want one for yourself," Aknumkanon interjected.

"Hush. I'm merely implying you were lucky to get a woman as great as she is, despite her… interesting qualities."

"I'll tell her you said so," Aknumkanon informed the figure with a grin.

"Please don't," was the instant reply.

Aknumkanon had to laugh at that. "For a god you sure are easily scared."

"Not scared. Wise. Despite your luck, I never would have dreamed of placing my life under the control of that wild woman."

"Can I at least tell her you called her a wild woman? She'll take it as a compliment, I promise you."

"The day I let you tell your insane wife anything I say about her will be the day I become romantically involved," the figure insisted stubbornly.

"Your day will come."

"Never."

Aknumkanon pouted, but the figure was not bothered by his childish act. Not only was he used to it, but he knew it was a trick. A trick he was not about to fall for. He was not childish like his friend, or at least he didn't think so. Aknumkanon would beg to differ. Except pharaohs didn't beg unless they wanted to risk their manly pride, so Aknumkanon would actually just differ. Hating the silence at the moment, Aknumkanon cleared his throat. "So, when you finish, how will you contact Ishizu?"

"The Ishtar girl?"

"Yes."

"Do tell me why I would contact her?"

"She still holds power from the millennium necklace, so you would require her assistance to_"

"That would be far more difficult than what I will be doing once done."

"And that is?" Aknumkanon asked, wondering what could be better than the conclusion he had reached.

"Isis is actually in this world, and still possesses the original millennium necklace, so having her use her magic will be much better."

Aknumkanon knew for a fact that such an idea was false, because Ishizu's connection to the real world would strengthen the magic necessary, but he said nothing about that. Instead he said, "Isis, eh?"

"Yes."

"My wife was actually thinking you two would make a brilliant couple."

"You do realize I'm holding a sharp object," the man said to his friend stiffly, allowing the dim light to glint off of said sharp object.

Aknumkanon grinned cheekily. "It may have escaped my notice. Though, speaking of which, why are you stalling? Limited time, remember? We did just find out you've only got… what is it, two and a half days?"

"Well, I could open the box now, but do you want to lose your soul for eternity?"

Aknumkanon swallowed thickly, still managing to grin. "No thank you. I'll be leaving now." With that he turned around, yelling "My wife supports your advances on Isis!"

"Sharp objects!" the figure reminded him with a shout.

"Out of range!" Aknumkanon taunted just as loudly as he increased the distance, leaving the building entirely.

The figure grumbled something unintelligent as he finally picked up the box and opened it, revealing the glowing contents. This was going to be a long two days.

**This chapter was so hard to make a reasonable word count. It still isn't quite as long as all the other chapters have been, but I figure that's okay. It still beats the prologue, right? Anyway, there's my bit of bickering, and hopefully it won't be the last. And look, you still don't know who the figure is. I don't think.**

**I'd be fairly impressed if you knew, but its pretty much impossible.**

**And why yes, I did make a joke about God from Christianity. Sue me, it made me happy.**

**Ezzy**


	6. At Least Find Him

**And now, back to the real world. At least, I think it is. I don't know anymore. I could be completely wrong, and this whole average life of mine and the chapters I write could all be a dream, and I could wake up and actually be in an anime world. That's right, I'm an obsessed girl who prays that when she dies she can live in an anime world full of magic, children's card games, cliché dramatics, catchy theme songs, and outlandishly sexy clothes… possibly made of leather.**

**NOTE: So, you may not have noticed, for I certainly didn't. But I realized something really dumb on my part. Bakura was in the first half of the first chapter. But is he anywhere else? Don't look now, I fixed it. He used to not be, so I realized with horror I had to go back and explain his absence. I am so sorry dearest British boy, I must've forgotten you once you lost your Gaydar. (Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged reference for everyone)**

**Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine.**

Mai had not been kidding about the whole sight-seeing idea. Tea did not feel the energy to do anything except mope in Ishizu's room, though if there was some way to make her heart hurt less than she might be a little curious. Had she been intent on staying in Ishizu's room, however, she would have been greeted with disappointment, considering it was Ishizu's room. This meant Ishizu had the key, and somehow the key had managed to lock the door and get lost conveniently... Ishizu instantly caught on to Mai's intentions with the sight-seeing. Tea had been left outside to wait for Mai while she went to fetch Ishizu.

"I just don't want them both miserable," Ishizu pointed out as Mai explained her plan, sorrow in her voice.

Mai picked up her purse, shouldering it with a sigh. "There's nothing we can do about that. It's up to them," she reminded Ishizu. "For now, we just have to show her a way to deal. There's no way out."

Ishizu nodded slowly, and the two women proceeded out of the house after telling all the boys that Tea had left in hopes of buying more clothes for the stay, but didn't know where to go, so they were going with her. It seemed everyone got what the basics of what that actually meant. Tea wasn't coping well and needed some girl time. But what she wasn't coping well with? Well, they got most of that wrong.

Ishizu contemplated the usefulness of lying, but Mai simply put a finger to her lips, knowing that at the moment it'd be better to not outwardly tell anyone, and the two approached Tea, who waited silently.

"Alright, girls, let's get this show on the road. Speaking of road, you guys own a car, right?" Mai asked, voice growing from confident to unsure as she glanced over at Ishizu. Walking everywhere really was going to make this a whole lot harder.

"Odion has one. A black jeep."

"Great! Do I have to go back in and get the keys?" Mai asked as Tea stared out into the sand. Though she had briefly been encouraged, Mai's persistent voice being gone for the ten minutes it took to fetch Ishizu had allowed her to doubt again and find new pain to wallow in.

Ishizu smiled at that statement and reached into a pocket Mai and Tea hadn't realized existed on her dress. Mai briefly wondered if she had one of those too and just couldn't tell, not that it mattered. That's what purses were for.

Ishizu pulled out a shiny silver key on a matching ring with the golden eye of Horus turned into a keychain and hanging from the ring as well. Another keychain hung off as well, though this keychain was a word. 'SPARE'. That was it, and the girls asked nothing of how Ishizu had gotten it. Going over to the garage, Ishizu pushed in a code and the door rolled up, revealing a black jeep and a shiny motorcycle. Upon arriving at the Ishtar home, Mai had been shocked that it was well-furnished and, well, expensive looking, but then she realized that running a museum, traveling back and forth between Egypt and Japan, as well as providing Marik a motorcycle was clearly not a cheap way to live life. The question now was where all the money came from, and why it seemed Ishizu did not own a car. "Why do the boys have vehicles and you don't?" Mai asked, wondering briefly if the boys weren't being nice to the gentle Ishizu.

Ishizu opened the driver's door and stepped into the car, inhaling deeply as she slid the key into the ignition. Tea got into the back of the jeep rather like a lifeless doll, and Mai hopped into the usually coveted shotgun seat. "I have one, but with all the traveling I do, it's inconvenient to take places outside of Egypt. It's in storage right now so Marik doesn't run into it with his motorcycle. I'd make him store that, too, but motorcycles are smaller cargo and far less weight," she explained as she pulled out of the garage and then shifted into drive.

Mai would've liked to have wonder about what kind of car Ishizu would drive. A pale, vintage Beetle? A modest small car that wouldn't stand out on a car lot, like a Neon or Sunfire? Something older? Well, either way, there were much more important things to deal with. "So, as far as places to go_"

"I know just where to start," Ishizu interrupted with a small smile, and Mai's eyes widened. Okay, maybe there weren't more important things. So, as Ishizu navigated the worn dirt roads, Mai talked loudly about Ishizu and what kind of person she was, slowly trying to deduce not only the kind of car she'd own, but also modern day clothes. Tea wasn't listening, in her own little world with her eyes half-lidded and staring off into the slightly blurred world the window showed her. The radio wasn't playing, but Mai's voice slowly progressing to what kinds of restaurants Ishizu would eat at in Japan filled the would-be-silent car.

After about ten minutes, Tea's eyes began to notice something in the distance, but her brain didn't register the very familiar shape. It wasn't until Ishizu parked the car that she was forced to recognize it. She opened the door, stumbled out of the jeep, and was greeted with the tall, classic icon of ancient Egypt. The Great Pyramid of Giza. Ishizu's face lightened and an affectionate smile crossed her face as she gazed at the structure while Mai gaped at it. "My God, and _people_ moved that? Jeez, no thanks. Imagine the smell, and all the sweat." As she said it, Mai shuddered, but then her eyes lit up. "Though, I'm sure men would've wanted to work shirtless. You know, because of the hot weather and all. That's an upside." It was some light-hearted joking, and not directed at Tea at all, but if Ishizu was meant to laugh then Mai might as well have told a cat. Ishizu rolled her eyes at the blonde, instead glancing over at Tea, who was slowly approaching the pyramid. There were other tourists, but they all kept to their own business as the brunette girl walked up to the ancient structure. Ten feet away, she stopped and stared up to the top of it. For a few minutes she stood there, and finally Ishizu walked over to join her.

"Seems a bit... impersonal, doesn't it?"

A soft 'yeah' left Tea's lips as she continued to eye the giant blocks that formed the pyramid. After another minute, she decided to ask why.

"Because this is just a shape, an overly used one. While it can mean a lot and reveal important things about ancient Egyptians, everyone knows about it. But not everyone knows about individual people who existed during those times. Sure, pyramids are great, but when it comes to pharaohs and priests of ancient Egypt... it helps to look at more specific things," Ishizu explained. She suddenly clapped her hands together and turned back toward the jeep. "Alright class, our second stop for the field trip is just beginning."

"History class?" Mai asked with a bit of horror in her voice as terrible memories returned to her of her educational life. "Mrs. Morrison was a bore, and she couldn't put an outfit together to save her life. How she ever got married..."

Ishizu glanced over at Tea, who was keeping her slow walking pace pretty consistent as she returned to the car, and then back at Mai. "She wasn't doing it right. I'll make sure it's done correctly," Ishizu insisted. _Otherwise we'll never see a real smile out of Tea._

After more quality time in the car, this time with no sound at all as even Mai waited with anticipation to see where they were going, But when they got there, she felt she'd been holding her breath for nothing. "Ishizu, this_"

"I promise you, this is a bit different."

Mai turned to Ishizu, arching an eyebrow at her in disbelief, because truly, all she saw was another pyramid, except this one was smaller and not at all impressive. "You know, when I suggested we show her all the different things that were close to the pharaoh in his life time, I had been hoping for something a little more... I don't know, personal, like you said," Mai whispered sharply.

"It's the inside that counts," Ishizu informed her unimpressed cohort. "Trust me." And with that, the three exited Odion's jeep once more. This pyramid didn't have as many tourists, but if they knew what was inside there would be thousands. However, it was because of the contents of the pyramid that no one was allowed in. Research was still being performed. "Many archaeologists can get into this pyramid, but mostly we get researchers from KaibaCorp and Industrial Illusions. Still nothing special... for the most part." With those vague words in the air, Ishizu fished her identification card out of a pocket in her dress and approached a guard at the entrance to the pyramid. There had once been heavy doors blocking the entrance to the pyramid, but once discovered, the doors were removed for easier access, and guards were placed to filter those who entered. With a flash of her card, Ishizu got Tea, Mai and herself into the historic monument. The entrance hall was only a couple yards long before it opened up to reveal the pyramid lacked any walls except those that made the three-dimensional shape of the structure itself. Instead, there seemed to be another pyramid in the middle, except the top was cut off to form a platform with stairs leading up to it. All along the walls giant stone tablets were arranged. Ishizu no longer had to explain what made the pyramid important. The tablets spoke for themselves.

Mai gaped, now making the connection. "These are_"

"Duel monsters." The murmur was faint, but it tripled Tea's word count on the trip from one to three. She began to walk towards one that looked suspiciously like the Celtic Guardian, and when a researcher started towards her to keep her from touching the artifact, Ishizu rushed to him, card in hand as she murmured a few words. Swallowing, the elderly man nodded and went back to what he was doing.

Tea remembered the way things worked. She'd seen it happen in the pharaoh's memories. She knew where the duel monsters had come from, and as she stared at the lines of tablets, she wondered whose pyramid this was. Mai and Ishizu didn't interfere as she began her little quest for the answer. Her first clue was the giant stone tablet that proudly displayed an adorable little fur ball that nowadays was considered one of the weakest cards in all of Duel Monsters. But she knew two people that had not thought so, and seeing as only one of those people had lived during ancient Egyptian times...

"I'm sure you confused a lot of people," Tea muttered to herself, a laugh finding its way out of her mouth. "I wonder..." She turned around, looking for a specific card... tablet. And she found it, kept a little apart from the others, as the monster on the tablet was not only a monster, but a dear friend to the possible owner of the pyramid. Dark Magician. She ran to it much like a child would run over to a carnival booth. "Ishizu," she called lightly over her shoulder, "is this... his?"

Ishizu walked over slowly, her head to one side as she eyed the girl. "I taught Mai something while you were exploring," she said instead, a smile threatening to appear.

"Did you know there's only one pyramid that has the three Egyptian God tablets in them? They say it belonged to a pharaoh with very... interesting hair, and that he was the one who called upon them by name to save his people." That was Mai's voice coming from atop the platform in the middle of the room.

Tea's head shot up to look at the blonde, who was grinning down at her as she jerked a thumb towards three tablets raised above all the others, including the Dark Magician's.

"You should probably take that as a yes to your question," Ishizu said, and Tea nodded, her eyes thoughtful as she went to join Mai at her higher vantage point. Ishizu followed suit, and when all three were at the top, Tea found herself turning in circles to eye all the tablets.

"So... these were all his?"

"He inherited most from his father, so technically this is the pyramid of Atem's bloodline, not specifically Atem's. But he was the last to use it, and in honor of him, Seto refused to take the god tablets out of the pyramid even after he became pharaoh," Ishizu explained. Tea nodded, listening yet still being consumed by the prospect that this was Atem's true deck. The original. The first.

They left after Tea had been sure to see all the tablets and Mai had figured out what Duel Monsters card each one was. After that, they returned to the jeep and drove off to more destinations, establishing the average pharaoh's life. Still, after the first two pyramids, everything else they had seen had not actually been from ancient Egyptian times, or at least was no longer in its original ancient Egyptian structures. They went to a museum, to Ishizu's private laboratory, and looked at several artifacts specifically from the life of a pharaoh from jewelry to records kept by scribes during court sessions. There were records on Atem's bloodline and the rule of his father, along with his short rule, of course. Still, it wasn't hitting home like the duel monster tablets had, and Ishizu knew this. Mai had given up on pestering the tomb keeper, for she seemed intent on going slowly. They had already had lunch, and the sun was beginning to set when Ishizu stated they were heading to their last destination. They'd have dinner on the way, apparently.

Mai frowned, hoping this would be more impressive then some of the artifacts behind the glass cases they'd been viewing. Tea had yet to smile.

Ishizu parked the jeep after half an hour of driving. They left the car, Ishizu leaving with a black backpack slung over her shoulder this time, and though in the dark it was difficult to see many details, there were still dark shadows of old buildings and walls evident against the blue sky that was becoming darker in hue as the sun sank. Of course, there were some research trailers and camp sites made around the ancient city, but not a touch of modern day or life was inside from what they could tell. Guards surrounded it, as they did most things. Tourist hours were over, and even researchers were packing it in for the night.

Like before, Ishizu showed her card, and a guard informed here that there were areas within being guarded as well that a very select group of people could get into at this time, and she had simply smiled before leading her small group inside.

"Where are we now, hon?" Mai asked, looking around as Ishizu revealed three flashlights offered to her by one of the guards and distributed them amongst Mai, Tea and herself.

Ishizu's smile as she turned on her flashlight informed Mai this is what she'd been waiting for. "Atem's hometown... or city in this case. Thebes," Ishizu explained, casting the blinding light she now had over the entrance to the city. "It'd be easier to imagine market life and all that in the daylight, but researchers and tourists really like this place, so we're going to have to settle for this."

"Whatever works," Mai replied, about to turn to Tea, only to find she was walking ahead, flashlight on and purposefully falling on certain things as she remembered what it looked like in the pharaoh's memories. Ishizu and Mai went to catch up, and as they proceeded through Ishizu explained in more depth what it was like to live in Thebes. Mai regrettably yawned occasionally, as she was never much of a history person, but Tea's eyes seemed to grow wider with each bit of information, as if the world that her imagination was now creating was growing to big for her to fully see. Eventually Ishizu was no longer bringing up things so much as she was answering the numerous questions Tea would ask as she'd approach a building or statue. Mai didn't fail to notice the smile that was beginning to form on Tea's face.

After another half hour of wandering, Mai's stomach pointed out the fact that they had yet to eat dinner, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

"And that's our cue," Ishizu said, motioning for them to follow her to the palace that they had managed to avoid. Another set of guards waited there, flashlights on and hitting their faces as they approached, but Ishizu's identity guaranteed them entrance once more. She would have liked to show Tea and Mai many things and little details, but she kept her explanations brief as she guided them to a specific room.

Thankfully it didn't take long to reach their destination, and Ishizu lead them through an archway that revealed a grand ballroom of sorts where a stone table stood on top of a raised platform at the end of the extravagant hall. "This is where the feasts were held," she said before proceeding forward. "And this is where the Pharaoh and his priests ate." With that, she motioned to the stone table. "Of course, back then everything was covered in colorful cloth and golden plates held... the most delicious food imaginable."

"Great, now we're going to talk about food. I feel like Joey," Mai grumbled. Much to her delight and surprise, however, Ishizu gently placed her backpack on the table and revealed a modest dinner within, including sandwiches and chips. It was not what would be considered authentic Egyptian cuisine, but Ishizu would be lying if she said she hadn't developed a soft spot for foods such as what she now presented them with.

As she handed out the simple meal, she glanced at where Tea had chose to kneel by the table (since there were no chairs) and remarked, "You know the pharaoh sat there." Tea stiffened, blue eyes glancing over at Ishizu with disbelief. "It _is_ the center of the table. Perfect view of the dancers. They were the only entertainment Aknumkanon accepted once he discovered it was his son's favorite to watch the women tell out different tales to music. I think one scribe said that Aknumkanon's son was 'enchanted by how they could tell a story without words'." Tea turned back to look at the darkened floor where the dancers would have performed, and a faint smile appeared on her face as she slowly placed a chip on her tongue to enjoy the saltiness for a split second.

"A scribe wrote that?" Tea finally asked.

"Yes," Ishizu answered, wondering why Tea would inquire about that. Writing _was_ a scribe's job.

"Why didn't you show me those scrolls earlier with all the other reports?" Tea turned to face Ishizu fully this time.

The tomb keeper swallowed the last of her sandwich before replying. "Because they're not in my private labs... or in any museum. That would suggest scientists and archaeologists had access to them. Even the artifacts in my private workspaces have been examined by others. As for the scroll that I just quoted..." Ishizu smiled, a hint of mystery at the corner of her lips. "That's a different story."

"Who knew you could be so suspicious," Mai remarked with a suggestive smile.

"Only when it comes to Egyptian history."

Mai pouted. "But we could use that to our advantage. I thought you were a stiff who didn't know how to interact with men, but we could turn you into the secretive chick."

"Men are not my priority. I have work, Mai," Ishizu reminded the blonde-headed girl. "Why do you care, anyway?"

"Because I've misjudged you! You need to go back to Japan with us, hit a couple clubs. Imagine the men lining up at our table," Mai said, painting a picture of romance and broken hearts with just the last sentence.

Tea frowned as she continued to stare at the dance floor. "Aren't you taken, Mai?" she reminded the enthusiastic woman.

"I don't know if it's mutual, so it doesn't count," Mai replied carelessly.

That was the wrong thing to say as the girl stiffened once more, frown deepening. "I think it does," she said bitterly, thinking back on her own feelings and how they weren't mutual. Just because he didn't feel the same way, didn't mean her heart wasn't taken.

"Is everyone done?" Ishizu asked suddenly, deciding to break the tension and get to the place she really wanted to take them. With confused nods, the two Japanese women stood to join the Egyptian, picking up their flashlights once more.

"Understand," she started as they proceeded down a certain hall and then down a flight of stairs, "that we're only able to come here because of my job as tomb keeper. No tourists come here, not even the rich ones. Scientists and researchers have heard of it, but to them it's like the holy grail. Unattainable." That caught Mai's attention, though Tea seemed too lost in thought to comprehend what Ishizu had said. Eventually, they were in a basement. "Part of this is a dungeon, but the other part..." That's when they saw a couple of guards stationed before a set of double doors, heavy, gold and gleaming with hieroglyphics carved into them. One flashed a light at them, and Ishizu approached.

"May I see your identification?" one guard asked, voice deep but still polite despite the late hours.

Ishizu nodded, holding out her identification card for the fourth time that day.

The first guard showed it to the second, who looked at a very short list and nodded. "Ishizu Ishtar. Tomb keeper. You're good to go," the younger guard said as he made a mark on his list.

"Sorry about that, miss Ishtar. We've had many scientists try and come down here even though they don't have clearance," the first guard explained in his low voice.

"Not a problem. I'll be taking two guests with me. Mai Valentine and Tea Gardener," Ishizu explained, gesturing to the two. After their names were recorded, two other guards opened the heavy doors for the three women.

The room was already lit with electric lanterns, allowing Tea and Mai to take in the whole room instead of whatever part their flashlights would light up. Mai gasped at the vast expanse. "What is this?" she asked in shock. Tea was speechless as she observed the room.

The room was only half the size of the hall that they had eaten in, but ten times more amazing. Pictures covered the walls, pictures of Atem and his father and his father before him and before that, fighting to protect Egypt and holding their wives close. Shelves of scrolls were everywhere, and several crates of jewelry and other personal belongings were everywhere. It was the fact that these were the most personal things one could've found about Atem and his family that made the room awe-inspiring, not the artwork or the jewelry or anything else.

"As you know, Atem's name was erased from Egyptian history to keep the millennium items from ever being recreated. This is the one place where that isn't true," Ishizu explained. "Seto refused to have these things altered after Atem's soul was sealed, so instead he had them put here to be protected and heavily guarded and never looked at ever again. The scribes that wrote them were sworn to secrecy and often sent to smaller palaces far away from society to ensure they didn't talk. The only people allowed access were the tomb keepers who had been serving the family for centuries. That was one risk Seto had to take, or he would've offended a long line of strong supporters of pharaohs who had been nothing but loyal... if I do say so myself." Ishizu smiled faintly. Then she set down her belongings and walked over to one of the shelves of scrolls, sliding on gloves that she also had in her pocket (Mai was going to have to look for pockets in the dress she was wearing, because it seemed they could hold quite a lot) and carefully shuffling through the papyrus to find what she desired. After a while she found what she was looking for, and withdrew a particular scroll and unfurled it on a table. "This is the scroll that scribe wrote in. You can't read ancient Egyptian, but my brother and I translated most of it and typed it up so we wouldn't have to come here to access it. But the pictures can only be found here. We haven't risked taking pictures." As far as Tea was concerned, Ishizu's words fell on deaf ears, for the girl was staring at the scroll in wonderment, catching the symbols that stood for Atem, as that was the only thing she recognized considering the cartouche she had given him. "I can give you the translated versions later. If there's anything you want to look at just ask," Ishizu offered.

Mai was eyeing the jewelry, but didn't dare ask if Ishizu could pick it up with her gloved hands, because Tea was silently asking to look at many things, eyes falling on purple capes and golden necklaces that were familiar. Many belonged to Atem, and Ishizu would go on about how each was used.

As time went on, Tea continually smiled, occasionally laughing at some of the explanations given. Eventually though, Ishizu admitted it was probably best they leave. The drive home was quiet as Mai fell asleep. Tea was staring out the window, though her gaze was not hollow as before. The ghost of the smile was on her face, and that had been the goal.

They were only five minutes away from the house when Ishizu finally spoke up. "Tea, we know it's going to take a while. It's going to take a while for all of us. But... what do you think?" Ishizu asked, glancing into the rearview mirror to see Tea's eyes searching the darkness outside.

"I... think... I found a way to... to connect."

"And what about all your time?"

"Not wasted."

Ishizu nodded as she saw the house. She turned into the driveway and parked the car, but had yet to unlock the doors. She looked back into the rearview mirror at Tea. "If you're going to lose yourself in him, at least find him. Then you know where you are." With that she abruptly unbuckled and opened her car door, lightly shaking Mai's shoulder to wake her up before exiting the jeep entirely.

Tea knew Ishizu had meant metaphorically, which was the whole purpose of today. But as she stepped out of the jeep she couldn't help wishing she could find him... literally.

**For future reference, my chapters are going to take longer to update. The first four were already written, but this one was not, explaining the long update time. Also, I was staying with my brother for a week, and had little time to even touch any writing. Sorry! It's not a good way to start a fanfic, I know. But I hope you'll wait.**

**I did try to make it up though. This chapter came out way longer than expected. Though it feels rushed at some parts. I highly doubt I'm the only one who feels that way.**

**Thank you for reading. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Also, I'm glad people are putting this on alert. I hope not to disappoint.**

**Also, I don't know where Atem grew up. I couldn't find the name of the city, so I looked up cities that pharaohs lived in and Thebes was one of them.**

**Ezzy**


	7. Is It Time

**I'm so glad I'm done with that last chapter. I really wasn't looking forward to writing it. But now I'm done. Huzzah! The fun is almost set to begin. **

**VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: We're about to experience a time jump in the Afterlife and in real life. Two days have gone by since the last two chapters (which took place at the same time). So, let's say the last chapters took place on Monday. This would mean this chapter and the next chapter take place on Thursday, meaning we skipped Tuesday and Wednesday. Also, they found out they have to stay in Egypt for four days, meaning this is the fourth day, and the gang will be able to leave tomorrow (Friday).**

**Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is not the property of me.**

He couldn't believe it. He had done it. The project was complete. He wiped his brow of sweat, always wondering why he was capable of such a disgusting human aspect despite being a God living in the Afterlife. Not that he didn't appreciate it. Sometimes it was nice to feel a little human, even if he wouldn't admit that. Of course, instead of finishing it the night before as planned, he had ended up completing the project mere moments ago in the early hours of morning. Aknamkanon would say he was cutting it a little close, seeing as all the magical preparations had to be finished today so that the plan could be set into action by nightfall, but he would blame his slower progress on the old pharaoh's constant babbling and 'checking in'.

Making sure everything was right and correctly protected, the figure left the building he had kept himself isolated in for the past two days. He breathed in deeply as he stepped into the dimly lit outside world, as the sun had not yet completely risen. Hopefully Aknamkanon wouldn't have risen yet, either. With this wish in mind, the man proceeded towards the retired pharaoh's home, glad no one was awake to see him move. Or at least, not many, and if any spotted him, he had disguised himself beneath a cloak.

It wasn't long before the man found himself before the home of Aknamkanon and his wife, Nakia.

Getting to the building had been easy. Now came the hard part.

The Egyptian god proceeded forward with caution to the the side of the bed where Aknamkanon slept. Technically, Aknamkanon was the lighter sleeper who would be easier to wake up than Nakia, who slept "like a rock... a very fat, lazy rock so big nothing could ever move it even if the gods desired to" in the words of her husband, but she was also the one with a temper much like that of "a two-hundred-foot-tall lion, very angry and very hungry because it hasn't eaten in weeks and has a rather odd liking for blood, specifically the blood of anyone who doesn't do exactly as the lion says", also in the words of her husband. So, the god figured if she did chance to wake up, he'd like to already have everything he needed before he fled.

That didn't mean Aknamkanon was going to be easier, though. Waking him up would mean waking up Nakia, and it would also mean him asking endless questions and interfering with the entire process. So, the man carefully reached out with two fingers. The fingers began to glow gold, and the gold flowed out to the roots of the pharaoh's gray-hair. The gold became two threads that gently encircled one strand of hair and then sunk beneath the skin. It took a lot of concentration, and Aknamkanon's eyelids twitched as if he was about to wake up, but that didn't mean the intruder had actually disturbed his sleep. Instead, with success, he pulled out the single strand of hair, watching it turn black like it had been back when Aknamkanon was younger.

Already, part one was done. With equal caution, the man treaded around the bed to the other side, where Nakia's sleeping form was. She had not chosen to remain older like her husband, treasuring her beauty with a bit of vanity that shocked some because of her tough nature, but didn't surprise those who knew her. Much of her confidence came from her long, blood red hair with her yellow bangs. It was quite an odd color combination, the man admitted (like bloody ketchup and mustard from the modern-day world), but nothing else was going to explain the wild mane her son exhibited. He wondered briefly if this meant he'd have to risk getting two strands of hair, one of each color, and decided it was better not to chance failing the spell because he was scared of Nakia.

Okay, he wasn't _scared_ of her. That'd be ridiculous. She was mortal. But she was also _crazy_.

So, with a sigh, he began the slow work of pulling out a strand of red, and then yellow. Relieved she had not woken up, he left the house, the three main ingredients in his grasp.

He returned to his abode where his project lay out. A skeleton. A skeleton he wished never to look at for another day, because putting it together was a real pain-in-the-neck. Literally. His eyes had been looking downward at the worktable for over forty-eight hoursThere was a reason tombs of pharaohs had traps scattered throughout them. Everyone knew graverobbers were ruthless, selfish bastards, and the ones who had gotten lucky enough to enter the tomb _after_ all the others who had triggered all the traps were no exception. Likely, if the god bothered to look, the tale of the skeleton's would've gone like this: a couple of lucky graverobbers found their way into the tomb, dragged the sarcophagus out of the tomb, took it to a camp, spread out the spoils (i.e. gold necklaces, mummy wrappings, bones, etc), divided it amongst the graverobbing team, and then over time people became greedier and fought over portions of the spoils until neither the robbers nor the stolen property survived.

And this is why he had needed such advanced equipment as well as his godly power. Otherwise it might've been impossible putting together the right hand, which had been completely crushed into small pieces.

Well, enough of that. The god took out Nakia's hair first, twisting the two strands together and knotting off both ends. Then she pulled out Aknamkanon's hair and twisted it around Nakia's two hairs. Done with this, he used his free hand to individually pull out each canopic jar. Lucky the graverobbers weren't smart enough to take all of them. He'd only had to piece together the stomach, which made him oddly proud. It meant the one smart graverobber who had decided to snag a jar before leaving had been drawn towards the one with the jackal topper. He'd admit the graverobber had good taste, because he himself was drawn to jackals.

With the organs all set out and the hairs in one hand, he set to work. With the main organs in place within the skull, he could begin. With hands glowing gold, he began to wrap the skeleton in the strands of hair. Due to the magic of the ritual, the hair began to grow indefinitely. When he was done, he murmured a few words and wrote a name out in hieroglyphics.

Because he wasn't mortal, he was at no risk of becoming blind, but the Egyptian god closed his eyes anyway as the entire space lit up with a bright, brilliant gold bordering on white.

When the light died, he was not disappointed with the results. Though that tri-colored hair would always confuse him...

He shrugged and picked up the product of his work, wrapping it in cloth so as not to be seen by anyone, and then placing it in a crate, and then on a cart, which he then wheeled over to one of the main palaces of the Afterlife, where he knew Isis would be.

By now the sun had risen, though had yet to reach it's highest point. People were waking up, but his cloak was once again on, so he looked like any other mortal that wandered the Afterlife.

But there were some people he couldn't fool. "Is it time?" He froze, recognizing the voice. Aknamkanon.

"No wife?" the god asked as he turned, relieved to see that Nakia wasn't there.

"No, no. I told her she'd have to fetch our son if it was indeed time. I supervise you here, she lures him over there. You understand," Aknamkanon explained with a sociable smile.

"Yes, yes. Though I think _you're_ the one who needs supervising," the god corrected.

The former pharaoh waved his hand as if to brush away such silly words which - were in fact - quite accurate. "If you say so. Now, is it time?"

They were now in front of the two grand double-doors. Beyond they could hear the sound of a fountain unleashing water into the air, as well as laughter and song coming from people who had once held higher positions in the palace in the land of the living.

"Yes it is," the god said.

**It's time? But for what? That is the question. All I know is that you should be excited. Very excited. Mostly because I am.**

**As for Aknamkanon's wife, I went to the wonderful website Babynames and looked up Egyptian names and picked one that wasn't a Goddess. Whether it's _actually_ an Egyptian name that would've been used during ancient times is definitely questionable, but we'll go with it.**

**ALSO, I just realized I've been spelling Aknamkanon wrong. I kept saying AknUmkanon. Shame on me.**

**Imaginary cookies to anyone who knows the identity of the skeleton. Imaginary ice cream for those who know why the right hand is crushed. (it's nothing important, just a funny reference)**

**Ezzy**


	8. The Gods Are Calling

**And we're back after that long commercial break. I just came back from an orchestra trip, and I missed some school days being sick, so I had to catch up on a bunch of work, and then I had finals. But school's out, so let's get this party started. Or continued.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: Let's not forget the time jump. Two days have passed. So, now that we're back in the real world, this is the final day they have to stay in Egypt, and tomorrow they can leave. **

**Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine, for if it were I would've made some changes. But I can accomplish some of those changes in this fan fiction.**

Tea had finally joined the rest of the group. Not in the sense that she was conversing with everyone, but nobody was afraid to approach her if need be. She was no longer locked up in the bedroom crying her eyes out and reliving every memory she had with the pharaoh. She was silently mourning like everyone else, her sadness affecting only small things she did, like the way she opened the door slowly and with a hesitant turn to the right, or the way she stared at the food she held in her hand for the longest time before taking a bit. Everyone else was dealing, and Tea was figuring it out slowly but surely. Figuring out how to cope with the lack of the pharaoh's presence, that is. She was now in the same boat as Yugi, who cried in his sleep but otherwise acted completely normal.

Still, her grief always remained more evident. Ishizu had given her the binder full of all the interpretations of Atem's family records. She had spent a large majority of her time after the girls' day out soaking up all the information, soft smiles and tears occasionally appearing on her face as she sat curled in a chair away from everyone else.

But at least she was in the same room as them. At least she ate and spoke a few words. They wouldn't ask for more while they were still in Egypt.

It was about two in the afternoon. Marik was on the phone again making arrangements for plane tickets and the like. Since the group of teenagers had nothing to hide, there was no doubt in their minds that when the government sent in a team to make a final inspection of the collapsed temple they would pass with flying colors. Then they'd be allowed to leave Egypt tomorrow morning.

Joey, Duke and Tristan were out at a festival, enjoying all the games. Mai had gone along to see if there would be any nice festival clothes to buy, as well as to monitor the three goofballs. After all, by "enjoying the games" everyone knew they had actually meant "enjoying the festival food", which would be far more expensive.

This left Yugi, Ishizu, Marik and Tea. With Marik busy on the phone, Ishizu was using the household laptop to make arrangements for the museum in Domino City, setting up some transactions and some exhibit opening dates to be all set up by the time she returned. Yugi was sitting on the couch going through his things, checking to make sure everything was there for tomorrow. Tea was in the chair everyone had quickly figured out was her's. It was plush, in the corner, and perfect for her to read through the binder. She was only a fifth of the way through it despite the hours she had poured into the new hobby, but that was fine by her. It just meant there was so much more for her to read.

It went on like this until about five in the evening. It was at that moment that Ishizu abruptly cradled her head in her hands and slammed the laptop closed. Marik was already off the phone and packing things for tomorrow, but he ran to his sister's side at the sign of her distress. "What's wrong?" Yugi asked, glancing over his shoulder at the two. Tea also looked up, curious as to what could be happening. Ishizu seemed to be grasping at her neck where the millennium necklace once was, gasping for breath.

"Ishizu?" Marik asked, alarmed now.

She shook her head as she stood from her place at the table. "I'm going for a walk," she said without explanation, and with that the tomb keeper left. As she opened the door, sunlight hit her, and Tea had to blink to check and see if she was imagining the flash of gold that was suddenly around her neck. No way.

The millennium necklace had magically appeared again.

Yugi stood. "Marik, what do we_"

"We don't do anything, Yugi."

"But Marik_!"

"No, the Gods are calling her. You saw it didn't you?" Marik asked, turning to face the boy with the three-colored hair.

"Saw what?" Yugi asked, looking at the door that Ishizu had left through.

"The millennium necklace," Tea answered for him. Her voice was tight. How _dare_ the Gods speak to Ishizu after what they had just done to her. How _dare_... no. No, she had to calm down. It was going to be a long and slow road, but this wasn't helping. She could drown in his past life and Egypt, but she would not drown in despair and rage.

She inhaled deeply as Yugi's eyes widened in realization. "Oh..." He had seen it. He had briefly forgotten that the millennium items were supposed to be gone in the first place.

Marik walked over to the window that faced the same way as the front door, watching as his sister vanished over a hill. "I wonder why they're calling her, though," he lightly murmured in curiosity.

"Maybe it's a message from Atem?" Yugi asked hopefully.

A loud slam met his suggestion. It was the slam of the binder that Tea was reading. She sat there, frozen with the white binder squeezed shut between her stiff hands. Yugi moved towards her, but the moment he did she stood and made her quick departure.

"You just _had_ to suggest it," Marik said, annoyed and disappointed in Yugi's slip.

Yugi's shoulders slumped. "It doesn't hurt to hope."

"Look, you're the kind of guy who takes all the bad things and twists it so that there's hope. We call your kind of people optimists. A common breed, but very rarely are there any who know what they're talking about," Marik observed, filling himself a glass of water.

"But so is Tea!" Yugi pointed out in confusion.

Marik sighed, setting the cup down without taking a drink. "Yes, well, maybe we're missing something, because clearly she's lost a bit of her optimism."

At nine o'clock, everyone had returned home except Ishizu. Tea had come out of Ishizu's room upon hearing the three other boys in their group and Mai returning. Marik made dinner for those who hadn't filled themselves to the brim with festival food, and everyone turned to him with the biggest, most admirable eyes ever at the realization that what he had cooked _wasn't_ crap. It was astounding. He'd quickly brushed it off as luck so that he didn't become Joey and Tristan's personal chef.

"So, where's Ishizu?" Duke asked, his uncanny ability to sense the presence of every girl in one building going haywire when it realized that the house was one girl short.

"Gods. We don't really know what, but when she left the millennium necklace had reappeared around her neck," Yugi explained as he handed his plate to Marik.

"It's back?" Joey shouted in surprised.

"That's what he just said, isn't it?" Tristan pointed out. "I always knew you weren't bright, but man..."

"Why _you_..." And with that, Joey lunged. Tristan shouted, and the two were kicked outside to "fight like the dogs they were" (in Duke's words just to throw some salt on the wound) by Mai and Duke.

It wasn't until midnight that Ishizu came home after everyone but Marik, Yugi and Tea had gone to sleep. Marik had stayed up because it was his sister, Yugi stayed up because he didn't want to ignore a friend, and Tea had stayed up because she was worried but still completely enthralled with the stories that scribes had written.

The millennium necklace was gone, Ishizu was beyond tired, but at the same time the Egyptian girl looked quite pleased with herself.

"Well, what did the Gods have to say?" Yugi asked eagerly. Tea paused in her reading to hear the answer.

Ishizu shook her head. "All in good time, Yugi. I must speak with my brother. You two should sleep if we're ever going to make the plane tomorrow."

With that, the Ishtar siblings left the room to talk out in the garden. Yugi sighed, finding the spot on the floor he had claimed in his bed. Tea read one last story hurriedly before she too withdrew to bed.

It was too bad they would never make the plane.

**And there's the chapter. The next one. I look forward to. So should you. Yup. So should you. Thank you for reading. Please review, for any review will be appreciated.**

**Ezzy**


	9. Person in the Rubble

**Alright, next chapter. I wrote it a little quick out of eagerness, so I'll probably end up going back and fixing blatant errors later. But I figured you guys want something to read. Could it be what we've been waiting for? That depends. Have you been waiting for cookies, because that's why I'm reading this fan fiction?**

**Just kidding. I know, I'm not that funny.**

**Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh. It isn't mind.**

The double-doors opened, and the inspiration for Dark Magician Girl herself leapt out of them. "Are you two going to be cryptic all day, or can we actually do something today?" Mana asked in her bubbly voice.

Aknamkanon chuckled, allowing the energetic girl to embrace him and shout 'hey Pops' at the top of her lungs. In ancient Egyptian times, 'Pops' was not a term used often to refer to fathers... well, not ever, really, but Mana had been watching the modern day world with fascination, and now the Afterlife was paying the price. "Of course, of course. You'll have to blame my friend here. He's the cryptic one," the old pharaoh pointed out. The god beside him stiffened as Mana turned her bright eyes on him.

"Anubis! You're actually here! Isis said I just missed you last time!"

"Isis said that. Really? How convenient for Anubis," Aknamkanon observed with a knowing smirk.

Anubis would've shot him a glare, but Mana was throwing herself at him and he instead had to busy himself with prying her off. "Go hug Mahad," he grumbled. "Now where's Isis?"

"Where I'm supposed to be. I may not have the necklace anymore, but it does give me hints from time to time." The voice was calm and collected, something Anubis had always admired, and the group of three turned to see Isis standing before the fountain, a gold coin held between her right index and middle fingers. When they spotted her, she kneeled to the male god. "Anubis, it's an honor for you to seek my assistance." Then she stood, somehow managing to clean her dress of dust and dirt while standing, a graceful movement Anubis was likely watching. Aknamkanon was willing to bet his beard on it. "And pharaoh, it is always a pleasure to have you near," Isis continued, giving a smaller bow to the pharaoh.

Aknamkanon laughed. "Hugs mean more than bows," Aknamkanon informed the Egyptian woman, but she shot him a steely glare and he decided not to force physical contact on her.

"Let's... move on," Anubis said, uncomfortably shifting from one foot to the other.

Isis nodded and then turned to Mana. "Could you fetch Mahad for us, Mana?" she asked, and the girl gave a salute of confirmation before running off. With her gone, Isis approached the two men and their cart. "So, did it turn out alright?" Isis inquired, turning to face Anubis.

"I'm... not sure. I mean, I've never done this before," Anubis said, trying to ignore the fact that Isis was staring at him.

"Well, let's look!" Aknamkanon said, and with a sigh Anubis obliged, revealing what was hidden in the cart. For anyone else it might've been weird to be staring at a fully formed body of a teenage boy with no life inside of it, but not many things disturbed Aknamkanon and Isis, and Anubis was used to dead bodies. "I think you captured Atem perfectly. A catch for any girl, I assure you. A real man," the pharaoh proclaimed proudly, and in that instance Anubis decided to take a cloth and toss it over the lower half of the boy's body. Yes, that was probably a good idea.

Isis turned once more to Anubis. "I think it looks just like him as well," she assured the god, and Anubis stared after her as she then asked Aknamkanon when Atem and Nakia would be arriving.

"We're here, actually!" This voice was strong and loud and even though her statement was just a simple fact, there was no doubt the voice belonged to someone who loved to also voice their opinions. The owner of the voice entered the palace with her unsuspecting son in tow. Nakia was dressed in a white gown with gold wrapping around her middle to cinch the dress in. It fell to the floor, and hanging loosely around her hips was a purple sash tied in the front and reaching the floor as well. Behind her Atem wore what he had always worn in ancient Egypt minus the purple cloak. No shirt. At least, that's the part of his dress code that his mother always accented, since she still wanted beautiful grand children to match her beauty. What girl wouldn't want a shirtless guy?

Atem seemed a bit out of it, but when he saw who was in the courtyard he decided it'd be best to actually focus on people. Especially since he was in the presence of Anubis. Clearly he hadn't seen the body yet, as the cart was no longer turned towards the double doors.

"I can't believe you've lost your touch, Isis. You were always such a gifted young girl when I knew you," Nakia observed.

Isis shook her head. "Without the necklace, the visions I get are few and fleeting," she explained, and Nakia nodded.

"Well, I brought the guest of honor," she announced.

Atem's head shot up. "_What_?" Atem asked, not sure of what his mother's words were supposed to mean._  
><em>

"Atem!" There wasn't time to dwell on it. Mana was back with Mahad following close behind, and the girl was throwing herself at Atem with more vigor than when she had hugged Aknamkanon. "I haven't seen you in forever, even though you live here! You and your brooding!"

"Mana," Mahad said sternly. Atem was wondering if he could die from lack of oxygen while in the Afterlife, but Mana loosened her grip when she looked back at Mahad. "Let him breathe. We have work to do." With a sigh Mana released her best friend.

With that, it was time to begin. "What work are you talking about?" Atem asked, looking around at those who had gathered.

"Well, it involves you," Aknamkanon started.

"Why?"

"Because, son, you've been dwelling here for a few days and we all can't help but notice that you are not the same," Aknamkanon began again.

"In other words unhappy, brooding, depressed, upset. Anything similar works," Nakia added on. "And we can't just watch you drift from place to place like a shadow of your former self after all that you've gone through and done for the world."

Atem looked at his mother in disbelief. "I _am_ a shadow of my former self. I'm here. I've done my time. What else is there?"

"Atem, you've done your _duties_, but you have yet to actually live," Nakia elaborated.

"I've lived several years," Atem corrected her.

Isis stepped in at this point. "You haven't lived two decades, and for all the good you've done and for all that you've sacrificed you deserve five times that amount, if not more."

Atem leaned against the now closed doors to the palace courtyard, his head in one hand. "But I did horrible things to. I sent people to the shadow realm. People who could've done a lot of good once they learned from their mistakes. The gods were right! I don't deserve anything for all the bad that I've done, but if I deserved something it's here, right where they sent me. Because here I can remember all the people that will never be here because of _me_. I can remember all my friends that are here and know that there are so many others who have lost friends because of me," Atem spat. "It's quite a stroke of genius, actually."

"Do you really believe that, Atem?" Mana asked in a small voice. Her friend shot a glare at her full of such darkness she froze mid-step, rethinking the idea of approaching him.

"Young pharaoh, we all have done bad things and good things in our lifetimes. It's a necessary balance and part of being human," Isis pointed out.

"Besides, the people you sent to the shadow realm were bad people who threatened the innocent and strove to collect evil power," Mahad reminded Atem.

Atem pushed himself off the doors, trying to figure out how to explain to everyone that he wasn't the great man they all thought he was. "Look, it's great that you all are being so kind and trying to reassure me, but your efforts are in vain. I know it better than anyone. I've seen the effects of what I've done. It's wrong and horrible and little good has come from it."

"My son, I never thought you were so blind," Nakia said harshly.

"Look, what is the point of this? What work is there to be done?" Atem asked through gritted teeth.

"We want you to have a chance at the life you deserve, Atem, whether you believe it or not," Aknamkanon told the younger pharaoh, his eyes warm.

"That's impossible. Even if I did deserve that_"

"You do!" Mana insisted.

Atem ignored the interruption. "Even if I did, it's not possible. There's no way to send me back. I have no body. It was destroyed by graverobbers, remember? And what is there to return to?"

"You know very well," Mahad said. "Don't forget the friends you made as a spirit of the Millennium Puzzle."

Atem's eyes widened, but then he shut them soon after. "No. I've put them through a lot. They wouldn't_"

"Don't speak of things you're not sure of, young pharaoh," Isis warned. Atem glanced over at her warily. He was growing tired of this conversation. It was useless, and he couldn't comprehend why they wouldn't just let him wallow in all the pain he'd caused. "Anubis put your body back together in an astounding amount of time. There is enough connection between the mortal world and the Afterlife, specifically Millennium magic, that it's possible that we can send you back."

Atem gaped. "My... my body?" They all nodded, and Isis and Aknamkanon went over to the cart, turning it so Atem could see the mortal form that was there. He approached at a painfully slow pace, disbelieving. It couldn't be... When he was close enough, Atem reached out a hand and pressed it to the body's shoulder. He instantly felt it and recoiled. It was him. It was his body. "Why..."

"I've told you before. Remember when you spoke of your friends in the mortal world and I told you of why you shouldn't be in the Afterlife? Don't let Anubis's hard work go to waste," Aknamkanon informed his son.

"I didn't tell him to do it! I didn't tell any of you to do this! This is_"

"The gods were wrong, Atem."

Anubis's voice rang out for the first time since Atem had arrived. Everyone turned to him, finding the god's dark eyes boring into Atem.

"What?" Atem asked, voice much softer now.

"The gods. Were. Wrong. Originally there shouldn't have been a problem, but your interactions with the mortals have changed many things. Fate is changing on a larger scale than the gods are used to, and they're not going to do anything about it. I am. That is why I put your body back together," Anubis said. "I know what it's like to feel like you don't deserve something. Look at my daily work as a god. But you must overcome this, and if you won't acknowledge it with a subtle nudge... You need this. The gods never send anyone to the Afterlife to _punish_ them. If that is what the Afterlife is to you, Atem, a _punishment_, then you shouldn't be here, and that is where the gods were wrong. They should've sent you back to the mortal world. The Afterlife should never be a punishment, Atem." It was probably the most Anubis had ever said in one day, but no one was going to be pointing that out at this moment. "If you won't do this for your own sake, then I ask you to do this for everyone else's, because I assure you this is as much for them as it is for you."

Atem looked at Anubis with caution, unsure what to say. Finally he came up with, "What do you mean."

"You'll see when you get there," Anubis informed him.

"May we start the ritual?" Isis asked. Atem turned to her, still not solid in the decision. But he finally nodded, and it began with the toss of Isis's gold coin into the fountain. Where the gold coin had collided with the water, a rainbow ring began to grow, and in the middle of it was Ishizu in the mortal world, the Millennium Necklace around her neck.

In sync Isis and Ishizu began to chant, and Atem felt himself being drawn towards his body. Mana bit her nails while Aknamkanon slid an arm around Nakia's waist, watching. Anubis nodded to Mahad, who approached Atem and began to murmur his own words. Mana stopped her panicking, now watching with curiosity. Her former teacher nodded to her, and with a smile she joined in. The pull became stronger, and in a flash of bright light, the Atem of the Afterlife vanished into the mortal body.

It was just in time, too. Isis held up her hands, and Ishizu mimicked her. The mortal body began to shimmer with a golden glow. It spread, filling the courtyard and attempting to penetrate the walls and doors. It grew in intensity, and only Anubis could keep his eyes open. Then, the glow suddenly vanished, as did Atem's body.

* * *

><p>"Is everyone packed and ready?" Marik asked.<p>

Odion was carrying out Mai's luggage, and Joey was following him with a suitcase of his own. "Why is it that you always seem to vanish and appear at random?" the blonde asked, clearly suspicious. "You didn't take your car, you didn't say anything... I don't even remember you being here after we came here from the temple!"

"Perhaps you don't want to know, Joey Wheeler," Ishizu said lightly, carrying her own very small suitcase. It didn't even look like there was anything in it. Odion watched this with disapproval, probably thinking he could've carried it as well for Ishizu.

Luckily they didn't have to take the jeep, for that would've been impossible to fit all the luggage and everyone else. Instead, a large van was waiting for them being driven by a government official who was told to see them off. Everyone was loaded in by ten o'clock, and the van pulled away and headed towards the airport.

Everything seemed back to normal. No one suspected something was actually horribly wrong through parking, retrieving their tickets, and security. When they arrived at the gate, however, their thoughts changed.

Three guards stood there, three guards that looked like they didn't belong there. Upon spotting Ishizu, Marik, and Odion the three guards approached.

"Your spots on the flight have been filled in by other civilians," the first guard informed them.

"_What_?" Tristan shouted, confused and ignoring the stares he had now triggered. Everyone else but Ishizu was sharing the confusion.

"Why?" Marik inquired.

"We did our final search of the temple last night to be sure there was nothing wrong or missing or otherwise unusual. That is when we found a person in the rubble. We checked our databases and no matches came up. He's alive but in bad condition. He's at the hospital now. We've received orders to take you to the hospital in hopes that you can identify him and explain his presence at the temple," the second guard explained.

"You're not to leave Egypt for another three days while we get this matter sorted. Your tickets will be refunded, of course," the third added.

It didn't matter if the tickets were refunded. No one was listening anymore. They were all still lingering on the words 'person in the rubble'.

**I'm sure you all know what just happened. So, thank you so much for reading this chapter. The next one will probably be up later than I'd like because I'll be working in Alabama for a week, but alas... tis life. Reviews are much appreciated.**

**Ezzy**


	10. Not a Bad Guy

**And here we go. Person in the rubble, reveal yourself!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I never would've thought of combining three colors in outrageously spiky hair.**

"Did someone follow us to the temple?" Yugi asked from his spot in the middle of the back seat, glancing at his friends.

"Maybe," Tea replied, "but I don't get why. If they followed us why didn't they show themselves?"

"Because he's probably some sneaky bastard out to cause bad stuff!" Joey declared, thrusting his index finger into the air as if he had hit the nail on the head.

Tristan groaned. "_Again?_ Can't we just get back to our lives? These bad guys are getting on my nerves."

"What makes you so sure it's a guy?" Mai asked, turning around to glare Joey and then Tristan who were sitting on either side of Yugi.

"Because every evil person we've met has been a guy. Duh," Joey replied as if it was obvious.

"Do you _want_ it to be a girl?" Tristan asked.

"_I _wouldn't mind," Duke interjected.

"Of course you wouldn't. Actually, I _don't_, but that's just because she might actually get something accomplished. All the bad guys we've faced have been total idiots," Mai pointed out.

"Hey!"

Marik sounded offended from his spot next to Duke, and everyone sent him looks that said something along the lines of 'it-shouldn't-matter-that-your-evil-ways-were-crap-because-you're-_supposed_-to-be-a-good-guy'. Marik slid downwards in his seat with a pout.

"You guys are being mean! He _or_ she is in the hospital. What if it was a regular person just studying the temple?" Yugi pointed out with a frown.

"All who think its a bad guy say 'I'," Joey announced.

Odion's face remained expressionless as he drove, Ishizu and Marik gave very soft and knowing smiles, Tea grimaced, and Yugi hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. Everyone else said 'I'.

* * *

><p>When they reached the hospital and filed out of the car, the security guards escorted them inside and then lead them to the correct hospital room. The window embedded in the door was covered by thick white curtains, and the windows of the room that you could normally look through in the hallway were covered as well, making it impossible to see inside. Two guards went inside while the others stayed with the group. The talk in the car had died away now that they were in the hospital, leaving everyone on the edge of their metaphorical seats. Who <em>was<em> it?

Finally the guards returned, faces set to be emotionless. "He's stable now, but still in a coma state. The nurses say you can go in as long as you keep the talking to a minimum. After you've seen him, I need you to come back out and we'll question you on the identity of the person," one guard informed them.

The entire group nodded except for Joey, who leaned over to Mai and whispered, "I _told_ you he was a guy." She promptly smacked him on the back of his head.

Then the guard who had talked open the door, gesturing for them to enter, and they all did so, practically at once. Ishizu and Marik smiled, but everyone else stiffened and gasped.

"Well," Duke began softly, but still audible to everyone, "it's _not_ a bad guy."

No, on the contrary, if more people were aware of what the person lying beneath the the thick white sheets had done for the world, the gang was pretty sure they would have called him 'savior of the world', or in less poetic terms, 'the guy with the crazy hair who saved us all from crazy evil people'. Either way worked.

For a while no one said a word, and the guards had to lure them out of the room with a reminder that they still had some questions to ask.

"Do you know the man inside?" the guard who had been talking the most, likely the one in charge, asked as he took out a pen and a notepad.

For a split second no one was sure who should speak up, but Yugi figured it might as well be him. It couldn't be so hard to answer a couple questions. "Yes, sir."

"His name?"

Yugi figured there'd be no hard in using his actual Egyptian name. After all, it was right in the same ball park as Ishizu and Odion. "Atem." So far so good.

"How do you know him?"

Shoot. Yugi was never very good at twenty questions.

"He's Yugi's cousin. Yugi's father is the brother of Atem's mother," Ishizu answered smoothly and without missing a beat. Mai shot her a suspicious glance. Where everyone else was thrown off, Ishizu had come prepared.

"And you're Yugi?" the main guard inquired, turning to the shortest member of the group.

"Yugi Motou, sir," Yugi replied, nodding.

The youngest looking guard, likely the newbie, stared at Yugi with shocked and suspicious eyes. The guy in the hospital bed was related to the guy with the tri-colored hair. He shuffled over to the door and opened it the width of a strand of hair to get a look inside, and the main guard rolled his eyes but patiently tapped his pen. The young guard's eyes widened as he pulled back and glanced at Yugi, realizing their hair was exactly alike.

With a sigh, the older guard continued. "How old is Atem?"

Another tough question. Jeez, Yugi was worse than he thought. But he was the supposed cousin, and it would look bad if Ishizu kept answering the questions when she wasn't related to the guy. "Uh... 22," he finally answered.

The guard narrowed his eyes and the group waited with baited breath. "Why did you hesitate?" the guard asked.

"His birthday wasn't too long ago. I almost forgot he wasn't 21 anymore," Yugi replied.

"When was his birthday?"

"July 19."

"That was a couple months ago," the guard shot back, causing Yugi to stiffen.

"Back where we come from, pal, we're not so good with birthdays," Joey interrupted rather rudely, leaping to his friend's defense. "After all, I think Mai's still 26 all the time! But you're actually what, now? 27?"

"I'm twenty-_four_ you blockhead," Mai hissed, jamming her elbow in Joey's ribs.

The guard's eyes widened momentarily before he cleared his throat and went back to his questions, dropping the birthday issue entirely now that there was a young, age-sensitive female who was irritated in the area. "Right. What is Atem's full name?"

"Atem Mubarak," Ishizu replied without so much as faltering. Mai gave her another look, but no one else seemed to be catching on that Ishizu was oddly at ease with these questions.

"Does he have an occupation?"

"He works as a concept creator for Kaiba Corp back in Japan," Ishizu offered, and now everyone was giving her subtle looks of confusion. Kaiba would never go along with that if they investigated.

Sure enough, one of the guards had pulled out a laptop from a rather official looking black briefcase and was typing away. They all waited as the guard stopped and nodded. The main guard looked down. "He hasn't worked there very long. Only a couple months," the guard observed. "Has he made anything my kids would recognize?"

Yugi finally decided to say something. After all, this was looking a bit suspicious that Ishizu knew everything. "No sir. The projects can take a year at minimum most of the time."

The guard nodded.

"He just started anyway. He used to work for Industrial Illusions," Ishizu explained.

"But we... we all know what happened about that place," Marik added.

They all remembered Pegasus, and the guards nodded in sync.

Finally the main guard cleared his throat. "Why did you not mention him in your report?"

"We didn't know he was there," Yugi responded.

"Where did you think he was?"

"At Kaiba Corp working on his project."

"Any reason for why he's here instead?"

Since Ishizu was caught not answering questions for more than two seconds, Mai had been trying to communicate with her through eye-contact. She believed in the female power of telepathy since it had seemed to have occurred on more than one occasion, and when Ishizu looked at her she wasn't disappointed. And so, when the question was asked for the reason, Mai took the opportunity. She slowly maneuvered forward, leaning against the guard, who looked rather uncomfortable with the physical contact. He seemed ready to push her away in the most non-offensive way possible, but then she whispered, "Things have kind of been tense between him and a certain... lady friend of his. He's a little thick-headed, she's hurt, and you know, it's just a bunch of drama. I think he came back to set things straight. But you mind keeping it between you and me? Because personally I'm afraid she's going to have a breakdown and I don't know what protocol is for dealing with a crying girl..." With that Mai pulled back slightly, but not enough to completely remove her arm. When the guard realized he'd have to agree for her to go away, he eagerly nodded, and with a pleased smile she pulled back completely and returned to her place besides Joey. Joey and Tristan shot her disgusted looks as they imagined what she might have said, and while Duke was thinking along the same lines, his face read more 'impressive' than 'ew, gross'.

"Alright, well, since according to his files Atem's uncle is his closest living relative..." the guard started.

"Actually, my dad's away on business. Is there something me and my grandpa can do to help?"

The guard nodded. "Right. Now, working at Kaiba Corp he does have insurance, so we'll sort things out there. However, in the condition he's in the hospital would like to release him to a hospital closer to his home in two weeks or so so he can receive treatment from his own doctor. It's just less paperwork, and there are obvious medicinal differences in different countries, but we'll do what we can here. The doctors predict in two weeks time though he'll be good for air travel, at least until he can reach his own hospital to receive medication and a proper examination by his own doctor." Everyone nodded. Another two weeks in Egypt. This... would be interesting.

"But he's in a coma. They expect him to be thirty thousand feet in the air in two weeks?" Duke pointed out.

"Atem has broken several ribs, fractured a wrist, and broken..." The guard glanced down at his sheet. "His left arm and left leg. The doctor's say it's possible that he lost consciousness from too much pain, but they suspect the high level of dehydration and malnutrition almost definitely contributed," the guard explained.

"I'll bet," Joey whispered to Tristan, snickering at the thought of a mummy over three thousand years old coming back to life after having been dried out in a dessert for several hundreds of years. Dehydration made more than enough sense.

"Anyway, no real internal damage was caused according to the report. Two weeks should be fine. Now, we have to leave. However, seeing as you're his closest family, Yugi Mutou, we need you to stay in the country and escort him back home. We'll leave you here if you'd like to stay and wait and see if he'll wake up. We'll arrange for new tickets for flights two weeks from now if you will all leave then," the guard offered.

"Yes. We'll wait," Yugi agreed, and with that the guards left.

It seemed that the moment the guards left a huge weight was lifted from everyone's shoulders, allowing them to release breaths they hadn't realized they'd been holding and actually take in what was happening.

Atem was back. He was in a hospital bed fast asleep in a room a mere three feet from them.

Tea was fuming.

* * *

><p>"Really? He gets crushed by a collapsing temple and is left there for days and all he gets is a couple broken limbs and a <em>fractured<em> wrist. I thought they built temples to be a bit more... deadly when they came tumbling down," Aknamkanon observed from his spot near the bucket, watching the image of the group speaking to the guards move on the surface of the water.

"They're not supposed to come tumbling down," his friend pointed out.

"Well, I thought my son would be a bit more disfigured."

"Well in his defense I'm not really sure I made the injuries accurate. I'm not used to disfiguring people."

"Not used to disfiguring people? You're _Anubis_!" Aknamkanon retorted.

"What are you implying?" Anubis asked, tapping the bucket to destroy the image in the water entirely.

"You're specialty lies with the departed."

"You at one point, and in some ways still do, hold the position of _pharaoh_, and never find me pointing out how your wife often dominates the relationship," Anubis pointed out.

"You wound me."

"You are growing increasingly immature. How often do you watch young people gather for events using my ability?" Anubis accused, setting the bucket on the floor.

"The young people these days call it 'hanging out'. It's quite fascinating."

"You used to be full of such mature wisdom," Anubis lamented with a sigh.

Aknamkanon smiled. "I have my moments of immaturity.," he replied, voice returning to it's calm and warm tone.

"Well, please attempt to have less of them. I find it disconcerting at your age."

The old pharaoh laughed at this. "My friend, we're immortal. At our _lack of_ age we're allowed as many moments of immaturity as we desire."

**Kudos to anyone who read Duke's line "Well, it's _not_ a bad guy." and thought of the scene in El Dorado where Tulio and Miguel try to get the horse to give them a pry bar. "Well, it's _not_ a pry bar." Yup. Just a little very subtle reference to make my day and anyone else's who happens to have a crazy mind like mine.**

**Please be noted I'm completely ignorant of how this would actually play out in Egypt and how guards and hospitals work there. Also, pardon moi, I'm not much for the medical field. I like art and mythology myself, just to explain the unrealistic injuries of Atem.**

**I feel like I'm torturing you guys. I swear Atem will do something next chapter. And as for his dad... I think it'd be amusing if Aknamkanon was attempting to be a 'hip dad' and looking into what all the young people are into. Just a personal opinion.**

**Ezzy**


	11. A Dozen Wake-Up Calls

**Sorry this took a long time...**

**Also, check the chapter before this. I lowered Atem's age to 20. It's just a small difference, but just in case anyone was wondering for future reference.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ze Yu-Gi-Oh.**

Everyone sat in silence as nurses went into more depth on Atem's condition and why he would have to stay as long. So far, no one had really been able to say anything on the reappearance of the pharaoh. They had gotten all of thirty seconds to even fully digest the information they had exchanged with the guards before the nurses had appeared.

Then the last nurse left with a promise to return later to check on Atem.

"I thought he was _our_ age when he died," Tristan pointed out.

"Yeah. 20 and 16 aren't the same," Duke added.

"It just popped out, okay? And really, when has he ever seemed like a teenager to any of us?" Yugi asked. _Besides when he went on that date with Tea..._ Yugi didn't mention that out loud, however, considering that he _had_ noticed Tea's current state, and figured it would not be a good plan.

"Well it's a good thing you said 20, because if his occupation is working at Kaiba Corp, he would have to be at least 18. The only employee of that company under 18 is the CEO himself, the brat," Mai reminded them all.

"Yeah..." Joey began, putting a hand to his chin and looking around as if he was solving a crime. "But _why_ is his job working at that jerk's company? It was even official! The guard found it online!"

"It was probably the gods," Marik pointed out, leaning his elbows on his knees. "Atem couldn't have come back without their help, so they must've thought of this beforehand."

"But why a job at Kaiba Corp? Why not send him to school with us? Wouldn't that be easier for him _and_ us?" Yugi asked.

"Perhaps," Ishizu began, "it is because it would be an easier transition for the pharaoh. Besides, consider all the things he'll have access to and be able to do at an older age than the rest of you. A car, for starters, and fitting in at a work environment would certainly be more similar to Atem's old life than a school environment."

"See, Ishizu, you're smart. You should join our gang more often," Joey offered. Ishizu gave a soft smile, but shook her head nevertheless.

"I think we're missing the important questions, here," Tristan informed the group. By claiming he knew what they should actually be talking about, he had won the entire group's attention. "When he wakes up, do we ask how he got here, or do we just welcome him to the human world? Are we all going to go in? Or should it be one on one?"

"Aw, we can't just wing it?" Joey complained, hitting his head against the wall as he leaned back and slid downward in his chair.

Besides Joey, everyone seemed to actually be considering the three questions.

Tea, however, seemed to reach her decision quicker than everyone else. She sat there, brow furrowed, staring at the door that separated her from the man she was in love with. The man she had finally convinced herself that she would have to get over. He was right there. Right _there_. Not in the afterlife. In the _human world_.

"Well I think we should all be there for the big questions like how he got here. Less repeating and explaining that way," Tristan went on, sending a pointed stare at Joey, who shrugged.

"He's pretty banged up guys. Maybe we should send someone in first to see if he even wants to see anybody?" Duke added.

"I'll go," Yugi offered, and no one argued with that. Yugi _had_ been the one who had basically rented out his body for the pharaoh's use. They were like twins. They even _looked_ like twins.

Everyone was silent for a bit longer. "So... now what?" Joey asked.

"We wait," Mai said, leaning her head against Joey's.

...

He was tired. So very tired. And yet, he couldn't bear the thought of allowing his heavy eyelids to rest for one more second. His throat was parched, his stomach was empty, and overall he just felt uncomfortable.

Yup, there was no question about it. He was in the human world.

But there was more than that. He felt numb all over. Odd. Something told him he should be in great physical pain along with the discomfort of being hungry and thirsty. Which didn't make sense. Going to the human world didn't instantly equal pain.

Atem opened his eyes to see why this was.

He was greeted by a white room and beeping machinery dotted with buttons and blinking lights.

He recognized this.

A hospital.

He was in a hospital.

_Why_?

It was then that Atem realized what this meant. Anubis and his father must have decided that injuring Atem would be their way of integrating him back into the human world.

As he shifted, blinking again and again so that the sheer brightness of the room would die down, Atem felt dulled pain travel up his spine and he couldn't help but wish his father could have been a bit more creative and - well - less painful with his ideas.

It was too late to offer his criticism. But now that he was awake, what was Atem supposed to do? Call out? Press one of the buttons and hope it did something helpful?

"Ah, I thought your breathing had picked up. Welcome back, Atem."

Atem's purple eyes flashed to a petite nurse poised gracefully at the door, a clipboard wedged beneath her arm. He opened his mouth to say something, but she pressed a delicate finger to her lips. "Let's rehydrate you first. So long as you drink it slow, I think we can give you some water," she informed him, raising her free hand to reveal a glass of water with a simple white straw.

It felt both painful yet heavenly at the same time as the cool liquid slid down his throat, quenching the desert that he swore had coated his mouth. He swallowed multiple times after the first sip to get used to the motion once more. It had stung at first, but his throat was slowly remembering how to deal with substance, and he took a few more sips.

"That should be fine. I'll leave this here for you. Your friends and cousin are outside. Would you like to see them?"

Atem opened his mouth just like before, but hesitated, wondering if any words would actually come out. Finally he simply pressed his lips together and nodded.

The nurse smiled sweetly before exiting. A few words could barely be heard, but suddenly the door was opening again, and Atem was face to face with the one who had offered up his body as a vessel for the ancient pharaoh, not that the deal was intentional.

"Cousin!" Yugi exclaimed excitedly, rushing to Atem's bedside. At this the nurse shut the door to give them privacy, which allowed Atem to reveal his blatantly confused expression to his aibou.

Yugi's enthusiasm went down a few notches when he heard the door click, but it was clear the eagerness hadn't just been acting. "Sorry, in case you were wondering, we're related according to the government so..."

The ex-pharaoh nodded slowly. They did have the uncanny likeness in appearance, one thing the gods didn't have to worry their magical heads over.

"Also, you're 20 and you work at Kaiba Corp, so that should be fun, right? Once Kaiba finds out, anyways," Yugi continued, noting Atem's scowl at the sound of _that_ bit of news. He was working for Kaiba? Of all the places for them to "employ" him at it had to be there. He wasn't even sure why he was surprised. Luck usually didn't like him outside of a card game.

"Are you just going to scowl, or are you going to say something?" Yugi asked with a nervous laugh, not sure why Atem had remained mute.

Atem frowned at this. It wasn't that he was giving Yugi the silent treatment because he wanted to. He just wasn't sure that his voice... Oh, what did it matter? Atem opened his mouth to speak, and upon hearing the beginning of a dry and disgusting rasp he thought better of it and snatched up his glass of water, swallowing several mouthfuls. "Dehydration," he finally replied, though his voice was lower and softer because of it. That's right, somehow his voice could go even deeper than usual, a fact that would confuse the entire gang.

"_Oh!_ Sorry, I forgot! Well, obviously, otherwise I... Okay, never mind. I'm getting ahead of myself. I just can't believe you're _here_! I mean... Okay, hold on. Do you want me to just explain things to you while you drink?" Yugi asked. After receiving a nod, he then dove into the details of the last couple of days, though he carefully stepped around a few... _details_, you know, the female ones. He explained Atem's condition, though the pharaoh took it in stride, as he'd figured it would happen for realism's sake and because, all things considered, he wasn't getting into the living world without a scratch if his father had anything to do with it.

"Ok, also, um... I... Okay, how do I... Tea's been acting a little strange so..."

"Have you asked her about it?" Atem managed to ask before coughing and reaching for the water again.

"Well, no, but I don't know what to do. How many times has _anyone_ had to talk to Tea about her problems? She's usually so open about it, or she's just not the one with the problem, you know?"

Atem narrowed his violet eyes, slightly disappointed in his "cousin". "Aibou, people tend to hide things so they don't bother others. Tea is the selfless type. I wouldn't put it passed her," Atem reminded him, once again finding himself downing more of the water afterwards. "You're her friend. You should try _especially_ hard to find out what is wrong if she's _not_ being as open as usual."

Yugi held up his hands as if in surrender. "I know! I know! I feel _really_ bad! It's just... I think it_'s _a_ girl thing_." Atem stared at the younger boy, an eyebrow raised. "It sounds stupid, but trust me. You'll see it. We all were trying to deal with... things... our own way and... Just trust me on this. It's _creepy_."

"Aibou-"

"I swear! Of course I want to help, but you'll see it!"

Atem's continued blank stare informed Yugi that he did not believe that statement for one second.

Yugi sighed. "It's also just been a little hard. We were all trying to work through your leaving and she was just acting... so unlike herself." Of course, Yugi couldn't tell Atem _all_ his suspicions about why he thought it was a 'girl thing', but he was being truthful about how intimidating it was to see how _crestfallen_ and _broken_ Tea had seemed. "You... I just thought you should know."

Atem cocked his head to one side. "What do you want me to do about it?"

Yugi shrugged. "I don't know. Could you just... watch? Because I don't know what to do, and neither do any of the guys. Only Mai and Ishizu seem to have accomplished anything with her."

"I will do nothing but try and be a good friend. But... perhaps that means understanding the circumstances first."

Yugi released a sigh of relief, a grin appearing on his face. "Good. But hey, first... you wanna see everyone again?" Yugi asked. His question was met with a slow nod and a growing smile.

...

"And there he is! The great pharaoh himself!" Tristan called out as he entered the hospital room along with the rest of the gang.

"Tristan, I'm not a pharaoh. Not here," Atem reminded him with a tired smile.

"Which is going to be weird, since we all know you _used_ to be one," Tristan continued.

Joey shook his head. "We didn't _always_. We used to think he was just Yugi, and then we used to think he was super serious Yugi, and then he was just some really wise guy with a deep voice chilling out in Yugi's puzzle, and _then_ he was pharaoh," he corrected.

"You know, when I was a kid and I imagined what high school would be like and what I would do and say to my friends... _that_ wasn't one of them, believe it or not," Duke remarked.

"I never thought I'd say it either," Joey offered.

"The fact that you're able to talk is actually a bigger shock than what you said, mutt."

Joey's face turned red as he clenched his fists. "Oi, just because you hang out with us from time to time-"

"Boys, Atem. Was dead. Isn't dead now. Can we get with the program and leave all your unimportant pride bickering for later?" Mai asked, placing an arm in front of Joey so he would calm down and stop acting like a volatile dog. He really needed to stop matching his nicknames.

"Speaking of dead..." Tristan started, teaming up with the blonde to interrupt the fight before two more of his friends ended up in the hospital, "how is it up there?"

Atem had forgotten that people actually wanted to talk to him and had simply been watching his friends interact, so the question caught him off guard and mid-sip of water. "What?"

"You know, up there? Or is it down? The place where ancient Egyptian afterlife is," Tristan elaborated.

Atem looked amused momentarily. "I'll leave that for you to find out. Though..." he paused, a somehow bitter yet fond smile on his face "it was nice to see some old faces again, and actually _remember_ them. Except for my father. I probably could have lived without seeing him."

Since Atem tended to always sound serious, everyone's faces instantly darkened in suspicion. "What's wrong with your old man?" Joey asked.

"Is he abusive? Crazy? After the Millennium puzzle?!" Tristan asked, leaning closer and closer until Atem wasn't sure he could sink into the white pillows anymore.

"Why are we assuming it has anything to do with the puzzle? There's got to be something else the Egyptians concerned themselves with _besides_ some Millennium items. Like clothes, for instance," Mai offered, instantly fingering a scarf she had purchased at an Egyptian market during their stay.

"It's _always_ about the puzzle. It's like the sun. _Everything_ revolves around it. If it's Millennium, you better bet your boobs-I mean boots!- that it's the most important thing for miles!" Joey informed Mai, his voice dramatically dropping until it cracked at his verbal mishap. For a moment it seemed Mai was going to pummel the poor blonde despite her high tolerance level, but luckily something stopped the beating.

"How puzzling."

Everyone froze and stiffly turned to Ishizu, who seemed to have an expression of calm affability as she glanced over at Mai and then everyone else. "Did... I mean... was that... supposed to be...?" Duke looked around at the rest of the gang in uncertainty, as Ishizu was not normally the one to say something clever, punny, or anything related. Would he dare suggest that she had attempted to make... a _joke_?

It seemed every human in the room was thinking the same thing, except for the undead one. Atem found it hilarious and ended up laughing so hard he started coughing immensely and hurriedly grasping for his cup of water. "I should write that one down," he finally croaked out before continuing to swallow water.

"_No one_ should write that down. Ishizu, we need to work on your joke-making skills. I'm a master, and so I shall be a good and generous mentor and assist you," Joey offered. Ishizu, no longer interested in what he was saying, was carefully casting her gaze around the room, and then looking over at Mai, though Atem wasn't sure _why_.

"And make another one of you? No chance. I don't feel like buying another doghouse," Duke spat, and the bickering began again, leaving Yugi to awkwardly clear his throat and draw the attention of everyone who _wasn't_ Duke or Joey.

"So what about your dad. Why didn't you want to see him?" Yugi asked, returning to the topic at hand.

It dawned on everyone that that _had_ been the original conversation, and Duke and Joey quickly shut up to hear the answer.

"He's just... eccentric," Atem finally settled for saying, taking more water. He was beginning to run low on his water supply. "Too talkative or his own good sometimes."

"Sounds like Grandpa," Yugi observed.

The pharaoh paused, squinting his eyes into the distance. "A little," he admitted, clearly disturbed at the realization.

"So... phara-I mean, Atem, why are you back?" It felt as if everyone needed to reprimand Marik for being so forward with the questions when it came to the injured person, but nobody wanted to. After all, everyone wanted the same answer.

Atem took care mentally making his answer, though it was rather difficult. He felt as if someone was _glaring_ at him the whole time. As he thought how to explain it he looked around, trying to see who it was.

And then he saw Tea.

She had taken a seat near the door, silent as the grave as she leaned forward on her elbows, watching him. Her hair managed to somehow hauntingly frame her face as she looked at him, and he could _feel_ the frustration rolling off of her in waves. The boys were either ignorant or, like Yugi, ignoring it for their own good. Ishizu, Atem realized, had been casting glances at her the whole time and then making eye contact with Mai.

Tea placed her chin in her hands, startling Atem out of his thoughts. What was he doing?

Right, about to explain why he was there.

"The Gods felt I had evidently earned a second chance at life since I died the first time to save the world, and then ended up, well... locked in a puzzle, leeching off _your_ body," he gestured to Yugi here, "and the rest. I don't see how this is going to work really. Now I'm going to be leeching off you in general because this... well, this is not the world I grew up in and I have no idea how to live in it," Atem confessed, finishing off his water after the long sentences.

They gave him encouraging smiles. "Not a problem, pharaoh," Duke assured him.

"It'd be our pleasure to help," Ishizu added. There went the eye contact again, a glance to Tea and then to Mai.

_Most_ everyone else was quick to say the same, and then the nurse popped her head in, announcing that they'd have to say their good-byes for now so the doctor could run some tests.

One by one they trickled out, until all that was left was Tea, who stood slowly, her gaze never breaking from Atem's as she turned to exit.

"You think no one knows why you're _really _here? Well maybe they don't... but _I_ do. And you're not going to tell them, are you?" Her voice was acid pouring over him, and his purple eyes widened at the glare she gave him to match.

"I..." He found his voice dying away and there was no more water left to fix it. What was he supposed to say to that anyway?

But her words had been soft, her glare quick, and before he could comprehend it she had let the door shut.

**And Atem did something! Oh, huzzah. In the modern world for one day and already calling out Yugi and male co. on their crappy friend skills. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Sorry for the procrastination. You get an extra thousand words as an apology on this chapter. (normally they're around 2000)**

**Ezzy**


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